Catching the Bug
by epcot97
Summary: While temporarily using the Snake Miraculous, Adrien reveals he's Chat Noir to Ladybug… and doesn't get the reaction he had hoped for. Finding himself worn down both meowntally and physically afterward, Chat turns to Marinette to try to forget the pain. But will leaning on his friend cost Chat everything he holds dear?
1. Nagging Concerns

**One: Nagging Concerns**

_Authors Note: This story was inspired by a moment in the Season Three episode _Desperada_ and several posts to the character's Instagram accounts. The two aren't related in canon, per se, but my little writer brain went into overdrive and came up with a story that would work well in my _What Came Before He Knew Her_ series – another chance to tell a story from Chat's perspective in the grace period before he finds out who is under that polka-dotted mask. As with _No Strings_, I've not entirely plotted this one out, so it could be a bumpy ride. (It worked so well last time, what could go wrong…?) __-ep_

* * *

Gorilla deposited Kagami outside her home on our way back to the mansion from the Couffaine's houseboat. How I had managed to talk him into dropping us off there for Fencing practice instead of the actual gym he'd taken me to for years spoke less of my ability to prevaricate and more of his decision to give me a bit more room as a teenager. I wasn't sure Father would approve, but then again, neither one of us would volunteer anything to him, either.

Staring out at the traffic as we made our way through Paris, I was lost in my thoughts. For everyone else, a few hours had passed; for me, it had been nearly a month while I'd tried unsuccessfully to fight an akuma with Ladybug. I sighed thinking about it, for I'd not done it as Chat Noir; through a comedic series of events, she had actually asked my civilian alter-ego to don the Snake Miraculous. Despite Plagg's protest, I'd seen it as a chance to _finally_ convince her of my love for her and had accepted.

Far from convincing her, though, I managed to fail spectacularly in every way possible as Aspic. Thousands of times we tried to beat the akuma, and thousands of times I watched, horrified, as my machinations came to naught and Ladybug vanished before my eyes. Each and every moment had been etched into my memory, permanently, along with the visceral emotional reaction that accompanied it. I assumed it would take months for the smallest fraction of those memories to dim.

In the end, I'd relinquished the Snake, but not without the additional sting of seeing how well Viperion handled himself after Ladybug asked Luka to join the team. I knew myself well enough to know I wasn't jealous, for it did take all three of us to vanquish Desperada. I was more upset, perhaps, that I'd not been more upfront with Ladybug and had simply passed on the Snake in the first place. At the very least I might have had a month of my life back.

How Ladybug viewed Adrien _now_, though, was a topic I didn't want to consider, for I felt like I'd not acquitted myself overly well. I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead against the cool glass, feeling tired and worn out. Both were true, but both would be hard to explain given that to all outward appearances I'd only been tooling around on the keyboard with Luka and his band for the afternoon. As I sat back in the seat and opened my eyes, I saw the Dupain-Cheng Bakery go by and was instantly gripped with a craving for baked goods and the gentle conversation that came with them. I started to say something to Gorilla, but by the time I caught his attention, he'd shifted lanes and was moving briskly with traffic away from the shop.

It likely would have been an ask too far, considering what he'd done for me earlier, but I knew I had an alternative option that I could use once we'd returned to the mansion. That happy thought sustained me for the rest of the ride and nearly through one more lonely dinner overseen by Nathalie. But once I had the bedroom door closed behind me, it felt like the balloon had popped, and I found myself sliding down to sit against it.

Plagg floated out from my shirt, still wearing the partial I-told-you-so look from earlier in the sewer. Once he saw my face, though, it shifted into something toward concern. "Adrien? Are you all right?"

"Yeah," I said. "More than anyone, you know just how long this day _actually_ has been."

"True," the Kwami of Destruction said. "But don't be down! You took out Hawkmoth's latest akuma today, and it was one of the harder ones we've faced."

I grunted. "After twenty-thousand-odd whacks at the apple, you mean."

"Look," Plagg said, "the important thing is you learning something. About yourself."

"Yeah," I said, leaning the back of my head against the door and looking at the ceiling. "And about Ladybug."

Plagg floated up to my line-of-sight. "What do you mean?" he asked. "I was down in the sewer, if you recall."

"I told her," I said simply.

"That you love her?" Plagg smiled. "I'm not surprised. But—"

"No," I said. "I told her I was Chat."

Plagg's eyes went wide. "You did _what_?"

I closed my eyes and pulled back the memory one more time and replayed it. "Somewhere in the ten or eleven-thousandth cycle, I was running along the street with Ladybug as Aspic and blurted out I was Chat Noir," I said.

"And? What did she say?"

"Not much," I laughed ruefully. "The look on her face was priceless, though – and then she was gone. Zapped by Desperada into nothingness." I paused. "It was disbelief, I think. She couldn't see Adrien as Chat."

I opened my eyes and looked at my kwami. "Given how badly I was doing as Aspic, I can see how she'd think that." I smiled a bit weakly. "Anyway, I'm on the prowl for some macaroons. Care to assist?"

Plagg narrowed his eyes at me. "You're going to the Bakery? To visit Marinette?"

"Yeah," I said as I pushed up from the floor. Every muscle ached, which I supposed was an aftereffect of my misadventures of the day. "I could use the company," I added to the unspoken question on Plagg's face.

"And what am I, then?" he asked.

"You know what I mean," I said, bopping him on the head with a finger. "Human company."

"I'm not sure that is the wisest of ideas, kid," he said skeptically. "But if you want to go, let's go."

I smiled again. "I need it," I said simply. "Do you mind?"

"No," he said, with the trace of warmth I knew he hid beneath that irascible exterior.

"Plagg – claws out!" I cried, and went through my transformation into Chat Noir. I was tired enough it felt like I was moving through gelatin, but a few moments later, I'd launched myself out the open window and vaulted off the wrought iron fence surrounding the mansion into the evening. As I worked my way over the rooftops of Paris, though, I found the fatigue hadn't been erased by the transformation to Chat. I had to stop a few times to catch my breath, which was very unusual, and it took me a lot longer than normal to reach the playful party lights of Marinette's rooftop oasis.

I landed atop one of the conical chimneys with a soft rubbery thump; unusually, I'd not picked up her unique scent portfolio as I normally would, and was surprised to find her leaning on the railing overlooking the river. "Hello," I said.

She turned from her position with a smile. "Hey, Chat," she said warmly. "I didn't expect you tonight."

"I like to keep my women guessing," I said as I leapt down to the railing and perched next to her.

Marinette smiled wider. "'Women' indeed," she said as she scooted closer to me. "Well, what brings the stray to my doorstep this evening?"

"Funny you should put it that way," I said. "It was a hard day, and I need a break from it." I looked at her sideways. "From being a superhero. Just for a bit."

Her eyes widened. "The akuma attack?" she asked. At my nod, she continued. "I didn't realize it was that serious. You and Ladybug and that new guy – what was his name?"

"Viperion," I said.

"Yeah, the three of you made short work of it."

Thinking it would be hard to explain what had actually happened to me – especially since it would reveal a little bit too much about my alter-ego – I just smiled. "It takes a lot of effort to make it look like no effort at all, Princess," I laughed.

"Well you know you are always welcome on my rooftop," she said. "Relax away."

"Thanks," I replied, genuinely happy to be accepted somewhere, by someone, just as I was. Even if that meant being clad in magical black leather, a domino mask and feline ears. For Chat had long allowed me to expose more of my true personality, though with Marinette, I generally left the flirting Chat behind – that part of me was an attempt to prove to Ladybug I loved her, and seemed inappropriate when visiting my friend.

We sat companionably for a while, contemplating the river and the lights from the city as they danced along it's surface. The view was similar to the one from a favored perch of mine a few blocks down the street, but I had long thought Marinette had the superior angle – especially on the grand cathedral of Notre Dame. Like the rest of the city, I'd been keeping tabs on the restoration effort, for it hurt my soul to see the grand space still shrouded by scaffolding.

As perceptive as Marinette was, though, she seemed to sense the underlying turmoil in my tired feline brain. She put an arm to my costumed bicep. "Cosmic thoughts, kitty?"

"Purrhaps," I said quietly, watching a single rower as they moved across the river. "I made a mistake today," I started.

"A serious one?" she asked.

I looked up and away, much as I had the night I'd visited Marinette when Ladybug had stood me up. "I feel badly talking about Ladybug with you," I said. "And it seems like I _only_ talk about her when I'm with you."

"Not always, but you do," she said. "I don't mind. I know you don't have a lot of people you can talk to."

I nodded. "I don't. In or out of the mask," I added.

"Chat," she said, "whatever it is, I'm sure it wasn't nearly as bad as you think."

"Maybe," I said. "I suppose it's in the eye of the beholder."

I wanted in the worst way to slightly unzip the collar of my costume; for some reason, it was feeling more restrictive than usual – and hot. Considering how it generally kept me at equilibrium, I was a bit concerned. "I… I revealed something important to a person I care about today. And… they didn't handle it the way I expected they would."

Marinette moved her hand down to the paw I had grasping the railing, and squeezed it. "Are we still talking about Ladybug?"

"Yeah," I said, and I looked away. The last thing I wanted was Marinette to see my feelings reflected in my eyes.

"You told her who you were, under the mask, didn't you?" she said quietly.

My eyes snapped back to hers. "Yes," I said simply. "I can't explain exactly how, but as a result of the akuma today, she doesn't know that I told her. But _I_ know how she felt about it."

"How did she react?"

"Stunned. Disbelieving, I guess?" I sighed, but it came out more like a wheeze that nearly devolved into a coughing fit. Where had that come from? "Not what I expected," I repeated.

"I'm sure she was in shock," Marinette said, defending my partner. "And if it was in the middle of an akuma attack, she might not have been able to completely process it."

"True," I agreed, but that one word came out a bit raspy, enough that I had to swallow a few times before I could continue. "I suppose… my timing could have been better," I finished. For the first time that evening, my throat felt a little raw.

"Are you feeling all right?" she asked.

"People keep asking me that today," I said. "Yeah, just a little tired."

I was well off my game, for before I knew it, she'd pressed a hand against my exposed cheek. "Chat!" she exclaimed. "You're running a fever!"

"I am?" I said. "I guess that explains the sluggishness." I blinked a bit. "And my inability to smell anything. And the blurry vision."

"Dear Lord," she said. "You shouldn't be out here – you need to get to bed."

"Probably right," I said, and I pulled out my baton. "And here I was looking forward to the macaroons," I laughed, which quickly turned into a series of deep coughs that racked my body. The signs had been there all afternoon, but now I couldn't deny it – I appeared to have caught something. Not surprising given I'd been running around in a sewer for a month.

Marinette had held my back while the coughing fit passed, and when I turned toward her, I could see the concern in her features. "Can you make it back to your home?" she asked.

"Absolutely," I lied.

"That's what I thought. Get down from there and put yourself over there on the chaise."

"Princess –" I started to protest, but Marinette was stronger than I thought (or I was far weaker than I realized) and managed to pull me off the railing and propel me toward her chair. "I'm going to be missed," I managed to mewl before finding myself beneath a blanket, my baton propped up on the table beside me.

"Not before tomorrow morning," she said. "That'll give me enough time to ply you with some soup and enough analgesics to get that fever under control."

"But—"

"Hush."

Marinette tucked the blanket around my body in such a way that made movement somewhat difficult. But to be honest, I'd spent the last of my energy protesting and made peace with the fact I was now a kitty burrito. And what was it with being wrapped in a blanket when you were already melting down, anyway?

"I'll be back in a jiffy. Don't go anywhere."

"Your wish is my command, Princess."

My masked eyes followed her as she moved to the skylight, and as much as I appreciated what she was trying to do, I knew I should return to the mansion and have Nathalie summon my pediatrician. And there were a thousand and one things that could go wrong the longer I stayed, including exposing Marinette to whatever I had (which would be bad) or somehow revealing my true identity (which would likely be worse).

Yet the allure to remain in that cozy, home-like spot was so potent when compared to the sterile alternative of my bedroom, it was almost like the decision had been made for me. I stopped fighting my body and let my masked eyes drift closed; the last thing I heard before dozing off was the scrape of the skylight as it gently closed behind Marinette.


	2. Downtime

**Two: Downtime**

In what felt like the next heartbeat, my masked eyes snapped open at Marinette's touch.

"Hey," she said softly as she continued gently dabbing at my forehead with a damp cloth. "You zonked out on me."

"Sorry," I rasped. "How long…?" I started to ask before it devolved into another coughing fit. This one was worse than the first one.

"About two hours," she said. "You must have been exhausted. I've never seen anyone drop off to sleep as fast as you did."

"It was a very… very long day," I admitted.

"How do you feel?"

"Everything hurts. And hot." I glanced at my baton, which Marinette had somehow managed to open to the phone/clock function. The current time – 2217 – was showing in glowing green digits. "How…?" I asked.

"Alya has video of you using it on the blog," she shrugged. "You might want to change your PIN."

That made me frown. "Indeed." I thought about saying something else, but that cool cloth on my forehead felt divine. I closed my eyes for just a moment to appreciate it; when my eyes popped open once more, the baton read 2305 and Marinette was sitting in a folding chair next to me, reading on her tablet.

"Hey," she said again as she put aside her tablet. "I need to get some liquid into you."

Feeling weaker than before, but wanting to mask it a bit, I just nodded and sat up; Marinette produced a bowl of broth that was still steaming, and I scooped up a spoonful. It was amazingly flavorful, and I made short work of it. "Thanks," I said, voice unpleasantly husky.

She pressed a hand to my cheek. "Still warm," she said, "but I think some Tylenol will help." She decanted two pills into my paw from a bottle, then handed me a mug. "Lukewarm hot water with lemon and honey," she explained. "It'll help with your scratchy throat."

I just nodded again and popped the pills, then sipped at the mug. The concoction felt silky-smooth as it went down. "Thanks," I said, and smiled that my voice sounded a bit closer to normal. "I should get home," I sighed as I slid out from beneath the blanket. "Apologies at crashing on your rooftop."

"Are you sure you don't want to catnap a bit more?" she asked, concern in her voice. "The rest will do you good."

"It will, but like I said earlier, I run the risk of being missed."

She hooked a hand around my bicep, and as unsteady as I was actually feeling, her act nearly pulled me off my feet. I managed to recover at the last minute with a carefully placed paw on the chaise. "I thought you might say that," she said. "Hold up for moment."

I nodded, and Marinette quickly disappeared through the skylight, returning just a few heartbeats later with two small Thermos-like containers. "More broth," she said, pointing to one with a green fringe evoking my cat paw logo, "and this one has additional honey-lemon water."

Without asking, she slid them into the backpack she'd also retrieved and handed the care package to me. "Drink as much of the broth as you can when you get home, then sip on the honey-water as needed."

"You've clearly missed your calling as a doctor," I started to laugh, then thought better of it as a cough tried to bubble up instead.

Worry was clearly lining her features. She ran a hand along my bicep. "Promise me you'll get some rest? And keep getting some liquids into you?"

"Yes, Princess," I said, smiling as I detached myself from her and, using what strength I had left, made it appear I was feeling much better than I actually was by deftly leaping to her railing. "Thanks for the broth and the honey-lemon."

Still looking concerned, and not the least bit convinced by my act, she replied, "Anytime, Chat."

I turned to leap away only to pause at her voice. "Chat?"

"Yes, Princess?"

"Text me when you get home."

"Uh, sure," I said, popping my baton open. "Uh, what's your number?"

Marinette laughed. "Sorry," she said. I added her to the baton's contact list and then sent her a text, somewhat surprised I could connect to a civilian phone; then again, it was _my_ magical baton, so why wouldn't work? "If you are up to it, stop by tomorrow so I can check on you."

I arched a masked eyebrow. "I suppose a house call would be inappropriate."

"Yes," she smiled.

Still trying to prove to her I was okay, I leapt away with a typical over the top double-barrel-roll into a helicopter with my baton, and managed to keep up the act until I hit the next rooftop over and crashed into a heap on the blessedly cool granite tiles. Pressing my warm feline body into the damp tile, I questioned the wisdom of leaving Marinette's care. Knowing it would be a mistake to close my eyes – even for a moment – I pushed myself back up and took off again, sailing over the alleyway. Halfway across, I realized I'd misjudged my arc, and I came in claws out, smashing into the side of the building and sliding down a meter or so before my claws arrested my descent.

I was still quite far away from the mansion, but I was realistic enough to realize I was too weak for my usual mode of transit. As if to prove my point, I was suddenly wracked with a coughing fit that left me wheezing like a five-pack-a-day chain smoker. Hanging there, six stories above the alley, I located the closest fire escape and swung around to it. I carefully hopped from level to level, coughing as I went; once in the alleyway, I leaned over, paws on knees, trying to catch my breath.

It took another hour and a half to walk the distance I normally soared through in less than fifteen; longer, perhaps, than it needed to be as I kept to the shadows in order to mask my pathway toward the mansion. I wasn't normally excited to see the bulk of the mansion when it loomed in front of me, but my bed was seriously calling out to me, and prodded me onward. Drawing on whatever last reserves I had, I clambered over the wrought iron fence and managed a clean vault from there to my open bedroom window, though I caught a boot in the windowsill and skidded across the tile of my floor into an ungainly heap of limbs. The backpack Marinette loaned me flew away from me and I watched, fascinated, as it slid like a curling stone across the polished floor to gently bump up against the wall by my bed.

The floor was as cool as the tiles on the rooftop had been, and as I contemplated staying just like that, I pulled out my baton and sent the requisite text to Marinette. She immediately texted back, reminding me to drink more of the broth, which I agreed to do. Grimly, I pushed myself up and crawled on all fours over to the backpack, trying to ignore the siren call of my bed as I retrieved the green-rimmed Thermos.

Popping the top, I took a few sips of the hot liquid, enough to convince myself I'd done my duty. Then the allure of cool sheets and soft pillows became too much and I hauled myself up, collapsing onto my bed, final reserves spent.

Sometime later, I awoke with a start, drenched in sweat; the sheets were plastered to me, and as I fought to free myself, I heard them tear as I pulled them off me. Belatedly, it occurred to me I still had claws, which had become entangled in the fabric. Bleary masked eyes turned to the phone in my dock – the digits glowed 0309 and I breathed a bit easier, for it was well ahead of the appointed time for Nathalie to wake me for school. "Plagg—" I started, but my voice cracked. I swallowed and tried again only to find I'd temporarily lost my voice.

Hearing Marinette's last words in my feline ears, I dragged myself out of bed and toward the bathroom, eschewed a glass and just put my masked face into the faucet, lapping up the cool water nearly as cat-like as I ever had. Turning the water off, I tried once more. "Plagg – claws in!"

The green transformation glow washed over me, and I saw Plagg float up next to me in the mirror. I also saw that I was visibly flushed, with puffy bags around my eyes. "You look terrible," Plagg said, concern in his tone. "And I suspect the honey-lemon water would have been better."

I groaned – I'd forgotten about the second Thermos. "How are you feeling?" I asked him as I shucked out of my normal attire and donned a fresh t-shirt and gym shorts for bed. "I'm sure now I picked up something from the sewer – could it affect you too?"

"No," he said. "I mean, kwamis can get sick, but nothing like humans."

"Good to know," I croaked as I shuffled back to my bed. I located the second Thermos and took a swig of the honey-lemon water before putting both containers back into the backpack and then carefully sliding it under the bed. Wouldn't do for someone to think I'd had a visitor.

As distasteful as the disarray was, I was too tired to care and dropped back onto the bed on top of the whole mess. It didn't take long to drop back into a deep sleep, one that prevented me from hearing the alarm going off on my phone until Nathalie placed a gentle hand on my back.

"Adrien?"

I cracked an eye at her. "I'm not feeling well," I rasped, clearly stating the obvious. I started coughing again, underscoring my point.

Nathalie put down her tablet and pressed the back of her hand to my forehead; a single eyebrow went up, which was the most emotion I'd seen from her in a long time. "Let me get the doctor," she said. "And you're staying home today."

Too tired to argue, I closed my eyes and drifted away again.

Another gentle nudge woke me again, and when I opened my eyes, our family doctor was bending down over me, wearing her gentle smile. "Adrien. Looks like you've got a nasty bug."

I tried to sit up and wound up quasi-leaning against my headboard, waiting for the swirling world to right itself. "Tell me I'll live," I croaked as she handed me a small glass of cold water. It took two hands to take it from her, and I drained it quickly before handing it back to her.

"You will." She handed me a small cup containing a red liquid. "Drink this. I hope you like cherry; we seem to be out of raspberry Super Tylenol at the moment."

I downed the awful substance and grimaced. "It still tastes terrible."

The doctor laughed as she took the cup away from me. "Now, I want you to rest and get plenty of liquids for the rest of the day."

"I have school—"

"Not today. And if you don't follow instructions, maybe not tomorrow, either."

Trying not to groan at how much I would be missing, let alone if Chat Noir were needed, I smiled weakly. "Doctors orders?"

"Yes, young man." She looked up at Nathalie who was hovering at the end of the bed. "Could we have a moment?"

Nathalie nodded and slipped out of the room. Once the door clicked behind her, the doctor turned back to me. "What you have is viral; you're outside the contagious period, but you should know that you might have infected anyone you came into contact with during the early stages. When did you start to feel bad?"

I frowned. "After I got back from Fencing," I said, which was accurate. "Yesterday afternoon."

"Have you seen any of your friends since then?" she asked, pausing to put a hand to my shoulder. "Adrien, this is important. I need to know if I should contact your school or any parents of friends you may have exposed to this virus."

I thought about that. I couldn't tell her I'd visited Marinette as Chat, so…. "No, no one," I lied, hoping the color on my face was hidden by the fever.

Doctor deFleur looked at me for a long moment. "No one? At all?"

"No," I replied, trying for my disarming model smile.

"Good," she replied after another long pause. "Nathalie has already had the mansion disinfected; I'd hate to make the school go through that too." She stood and smiled again. "I'll check in on you tomorrow. Until then, plenty of rest-"

"And lots of liquids. Got it."

I waited until she, too, had left the room, then waited a bit longer to ensure Nathalie wasn't coming back to check on me before pushing out of bed and making my way to the bathroom. Closing the door behind me, I knew I had to somehow warn Marinette, for I _had_ seen her. If there was even a chance I might get her ill, she needed to be warned.

Plagg appeared by my shoulder, and seemed to be on the same page. "Go ahead and call," he nodded.

"Plagg – claws out!"

No sooner had the transformation washed over me than my baton started to buzz at the small of my back. I slid it out and popped open the phone to see Ladybug's small face. "Chat! _Where have you been?!_ We've got an akuma – a clown of all things – and it's rampaging at the Arc de Triomphe." She looked at me, and initially appeared angry; as her eyes scanned my face, it shifted into something closer to concern.

The jolt of adrenaline resulting from knowing Ladybug needed me chased away some of the fatigue. "Sorry, Ladybug – I, uh, overslept. On my way now," I said and clicked off before she could hear me start to cough. Staying in phone mode, though, I dialed Marinette only to have it go through to voicemail.

I tried two more times before taking as deep a breath as I could without a coughing fit and launched myself out of my bathroom window, hoping I was up to the task.


	3. Someone to Watch Over Me

**Three: Someone to Watch Over Me**

I managed to haul myself to the broad traffic circle in question somewhat rapidly and landed on a light post looking for Ladybug. Being as far off my game as I was, I didn't realize she was sitting on the lamp next to me.

"Chat?" she asked.

Startled, I nearly lost my grip on the crossbeam. "Milady," I acknowledged. My voice was still a bit gravelly, and my sinuses were now plugged badly, giving what was left of my voice a nasally tone. "I should warn you; I'm not feeling one-hundred percent."

"I can see that." Ladybug slung her yo-yo to my light post and pulled herself to the crossarm, landing beside me. She easily took two steps toward where I was perched and put a gloved hand to my forehead.

"Not you too," I mewled.

She ignored me. "You're still running a fever," I heard her mutter, my feline hearing apparently still fully operational.

"Since the moment I saw you and fell in love," I quipped, then was struck by her phrasing. "Did we have this conversation already?"

"Every time I see you," she smiled. "Let's try to get this wrapped and you back to bed."

She turned but I managed to snag her arm. "Milady, a moment."

Turning back, she looked at me. "Chat, we've got an akuma over there…"

"And we are the main attraction," I said. "I suspect it will wait for us. I just want to know something. _Need_ to know something."

Whatever was on my face made her pause and sneak closer to me. "All right. What?"

"How much do you remember from the last akuma?"

"Desperada?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Enough," she said, looking away for a moment. "Adrien told me we were stuck in a loop for a month. I feel terrible about it." She looked back at me. "For me it was only a few minutes. You?"

Realizing I had no way to tell her I knew what I'd said to her as Adrien down there in the sewer, I just nodded. "About that, yeah." I looked at her longer. "You don't remember anything other than us adding Viperion and then ultimately defeating her?"

She raised a masked eyebrow. "What are you getting at, Chat?"

I took a long look at those blue eyes behind the mask. "Nothing, I guess," I said, and then started a fresh round of coughing, paw to the face in a futile attempt to keep the germs away from my partner. I knew enough biology to know I'd need to gargle Lysol and keep clean room separating us for that. "In case you're worried, my doctor says I'm no longer infectious," I added as we swung down from the lamp and landed on the sidewalk.

"That's good news," Ladybug said as she kept her eyes on the garish clown that was trippily dancing across the Arc above us. It was sending out balloons of all things; while they looked innocent enough, when they touched someone, they turned into a small clone of the akuma. I was going to have nightmares now about both clowns _and_balloons.

I popped open my baton again, and thought about calling Marinette one last time; instead, I tapped out a message with my claws, ending with the urgent request that she call me back. As I snapped the phone closed and readied myself for battle, I looked up to see Ladybug's arched eyebrow. "Texting? In the middle of an attack?"

I felt my face flush deep red, deeper than the fever's own color. "I'm sorry, LB," I apologized sheepishly. "I've been trying to let someone know I may have… well, it's hard to explain I guess."

Ladybug put a hand to my arm; strangely, I could feel the heat from her palm against my costume. "Try me."

Flushing deeper, I continued, both of us keeping a partial eye on the maniacal clown. "Well, I may have visited a schoolmate of mine last night. And if what the doctor told me is true, she might be the only person besides my kwami I came into contact with while I was contagious."

The color drained out of Ladybug's face. "Oh no," she said. "And if she went to school…?"

"Exactly. I've been trying to reach her all morning."

Something crossed my partner's face. "We… we might be lucky. This akuma's disrupted traffic all over the city. Schools throughout Paris were closed as a result."

My masked eyes widened. "How long were you trying to reach me?"

"Since about six," she said.

"I'm so sorry!" I said, aghast. "I crashed pretty hard."

"You might want to talk to your kwami about forwarding your Cat Phone in the future."

"We can do that?"

"Yeah," she said, though she was distracted – and not entirely by the akuma.

"LB? What is it?"

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. "Okay, here's what I think we need to do…"

Though I was used to being a fully contributing partner these days, I was grateful to be able to put my brain onto automatic and simply follow Ladybug's lead. I was reasonably certain she'd factored my infirm state into her thinking, for I essentially wound up hanging from my baton in the exact center of the Arc, charged Cataclysm in hand, and waited for her to drive our maniacal clown toward me. And, of course, it worked perfectly; one touch on the multi-colored hair from my ring hand and the akuma was set free.

It wasn't a moment too soon. Sensing my energy level was falling as fast as the pads were disappearing on my ring, Ladybug shooed me away and toward home. But even with my reduced role in the fight, I'd expended more of my own energy than I'd actually had, and barely made it a quarter of the way home before the third pad winked out and I was down to my last two minutes. Crouched on a rooftop, I realized I had left the mansion without my usual backup supply of Camembert; possibly worse, if I detransformed, I'd have to get back home wearing, essentially, my pajamas.

That made me laugh, for I'd once spent a whole day with Marinette who herself had been wearing her pajamas. Thinking of her made me look up and see that I was actually just a half block from the Bakery.

_Any port in a storm,_ I thought.

I poured what was left of my stamina into getting to the rooftop patio, landing perfunctorily on the tile in a crouch just as the final pad started to flash on my ring. I looked up and found a shocked-looking Marinette coming from behind the brick wall that edged one corner. "Chat?"

Ring chirping, I explained quickly: "I'm not well enough to get home before I'm forced to transform, and I had to leave to help Ladybug without my normal…"

Pausing, I wondered about the propriety of disclosing the existence of my kwami. Changing tactics quickly, I started again. "Ah… well, it's hard to explain." I looked at her, my masked eyes pleading. "I need a safe place to transform, but I also need a very specific type of food to… recharge."

Marinette sprung into motion. "Follow me," she said as she dashed to the skylight and threw it open. I was close behind her as we dropped into her bedroom, a space I'd only been in a few times before; she opened the trap door to the next floor and pulled me down by the paw, the frantic chirping of my ring trailing in our wake.

"Here," she said, pushing me into a small bathroom. "Lock the door. I'll be back with—what you need to eat?"

"Cheese. The smellier the better."

That brought a smile. "Got you covered," she said as she pulled the door closed.

I heard her footsteps descend to the bakery and then locked the door before sliding down to rest against it. A moment later, my transformation dissipated and Plagg made his appearance. "That was close," he said. "Lucky you were close to the Bakery."

"Yeah," I groaned, pulling my knees up to my chest and resting my head on them. "I think I infected her though," I muttered. "Her face was flushed just now."

"Or she was caught off-guard by finding a superhero on her rooftop," Plagg offered. "Don't read into it."

I coughed. "I'm right," I said with a certainty I didn't normally feel.

Further discussion stalled when Plagg zipped behind me a fraction of a second before Marinette tapped on the door. "Chat?"

"Yeah," I said, muffling my voice a bit.

"I'm going to leave the cheese here in the hallway and go back up to the roof. Take what you need and then join me up there when you're up to it."

"I owe you, Princess," I said.

"I'll collect later," I heard her laugh.

I waited a moment, my slightly-enhanced human hearing straining to hear her go back up to her room before cracking the door open and sliding the plate she'd left for me into the bathroom. I'd no sooner closed the door than Plagg had fallen upon the unsuspecting cheese, devouring half of the supply in no time flat. Normally I'd chide him on his manners, but I just leaned my head back on the door again and closed my eyes, trying to ignore the throbbing that didn't want to quit.

"Okay," Plagg said as he downed the final slice of something, "that should hold me for a bit."

Nodding, I held out my ring. "Plagg – claws out."

I sat for a moment after the green flash of transformation washed over me, then unsteadily stood up and cracked the door slightly. My feline ears had already told me the space was clear, but I needed to visually see it before I scampered up the steps to Marinette's bedroom, then pulled myself through the skylight and onto the roof.

She was sitting in her chair once more, and stood when I came out of the portal. "Sit," she commanded, grabbing me by the arm and propelling me toward the empty chaise.

"Princess—"

"_Sit_," she said again, this time with nearly the force Ladybug used with me from time to time.

I sat.

"Here," she said sliding a small plate of toast toward me. "I'm assuming the… cheese… was the first thing you've eaten that was solid since yesterday, right?"

"Ah, yes," I said, my stomach roiling just looking at the toast. "But I'm not sure—"

"_Eat_."

I pulled the plate from her and took a small bite. It was handmade oatmeal-raisin bread, with a dab of butter – just enough for taste and no more. With my enhanced feline sense of taste, the flavors of all of the ingredients exploded in my mouth, and despite my stomach's complaints, I took another bite, and then another, realizing I was actually hungrier than I expected.

Trying hard not to lick my claws, I looked expectantly to Marinette, who handed me a second plate with a smile. "Slowly," she instructed as I lifted a slice of pumpernickel with a trace of peanut butter on it.

Feeling like I was channeling Plagg, I managed to devour the slice in a few efficient moves. "Thanks," I said appreciatively. "That was a lot better than what I smelled on the food trolley at home."

Marinette raised an eyebrow. "Food _trolley_?"

Flushing slightly at my gaffe, I coughed slightly. "Tray, hah hah," I laughed.

"How long before you are missed?" she asked, still watching me with that raised eyebrow.

"Probably dinner," I said.

"All right. You'll stay then," she declared, standing up.

"I can't-"

"Yes, you can," she said, whirling. "It was a mistake to let you leave last night. I'm gonna get some more broth and honey-lemon for you; just relax. I'll be back."

"Take your time," I said, resigned that she was likely right – I wasn't in any shape to travel back to the mansion. A few hours rest would do me good. "I need to call Ladybug anyway, I promised her I'd let her know when I got home."

"Of course," Marinette said as she opened the skylight and dropped into her room.

Groaning, I shifted my position to retrieve my baton, and my world swam again. My head now felt like it was four times heavier than normal. From where I was sitting, this didn't seem to be an improvement. Taking a deep breath and blinking to clear my vision, I called Ladybug. She answered immediately. "Chat, can you see anyone?" she asked. "I'd feel better if you had medical attention."

"Been there, done that," I replied. "I just hope to kwami Alya didn't film any of what we did today. It would be obvious to anyone that I'm not up to snuff."

"We got through it together, and we'll do it again if we have to," she said firmly. "Now, get some rest."

"No argument from me there," I laughed as I hung up.

Sliding down to sit with my costumed back against the chaise, I pressed a paw to my forehead, wondering if I could feel the hammer that was going to work in my brain. For a moment, I thought I could and worried what that meant.

The skylight opened and I turned to watch Marinette step back out, balancing supplies in both hands.

"Chat? Do you like tea?"

"Yes, Princess," I said as she made her way over to me. "I fear I might have infected you when I visited. You didn't go to school today, did you?"

"No," she said. "There was an akuma that shut down – well, I guess you would know about that, since I saw you were out there fighting it."

I rolled my eyes. "So it is on film."

"Yeah, but if you're worried that Hawkmoth saw how under the weather you were, don't. Both of you looked brilliant."

"That was all my partner today," I smiled ruefully.

"Maybe," she laughed.

I looked at her closely. She _was_ flushed, and my concern moved up a notch. "Come closer," I said.

"Chat?"

I sat up and placed my paw on her forehead; it was unmistakable, she was burning up, much as I was. I frowned. "You _are_ sick."

"It's nothing," she said, waving me off. "If anything, I just have the fringes of whatever you had. It'll pass."

"At least you have someone looking after you," I said, skeptical it was as innocuous as she made it out to be. Aside from sending in the doctor, and Nathalie spot checking that I'd not keeled over, I supposed I was kind of on my own.

"True," she smiled. "But now you have someone looking after you."


	4. Best Intentions

**Four: Best Intentions**

Not convinced that Marinette wasn't trying to put on a good show for me, I nevertheless consented to another bowl or two of broth – but on the condition she join me. Initially she protested, but I trained my best masked visage version of Doll Eyes on her, forcing her to retrieve a second bowl from the kitchen. How her parents had not discovered my presence was a mystery I didn't want to delve into at the moment.

The mid-morning sunshine had given way to the slanted late-afternoon warmth before I realized how much time had passed. I'd alternated between short catnaps and more broth, interspersed at times with baked goods that we both thought I could keep down. I was in one of the dozing modes when my baton abruptly sang out the unfortunate chords of an akuma alert, waking me immediately.

Sitting up, I cracked the baton open. "Why not," I sighed, seeing Nadja's live report with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Turning, I could see Marinette had nodded off herself in the small chair she was using; as I slid out of the chaise, I gently placed the back of my paw on her forehead – and immediately pulled it back.

Marinette was red hot.

Swearing beneath my breath, I gently scooped her up and made for the skylight, steadier on my feet than before but still pretty depleted. Kicking open the skylight with a boot, I jumped into her bedroom and landed with a soft thump, then carefully placed her in her bed, gently pulling up the blanket to tuck her in.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," I whispered to her, furious at myself for putting her into harm's way.

Then I was back up and through the skylight in a smooth move. As I closed the skylight, I popped open the baton to phone mode to call Ladybug; normally she beat me to the punch on akumas, but my call went straight to voicemail. Frowning, I leapt into the air and helicoptered to the first roof, going a bit slower than normal to try and keep below the coughing threshold.

I wasn't feeling noticeably better, but also didn't want to push it.

Still, I made good time and landed on a parapet overlooking the broad plaza of Trocadero. I could see where Nadja was doing her breathless live coverage, and beyond her was a tall, vaguely Tyrannosaurus Rex-like creature. It appeared to want to eat the Tower and was trying it's best to wrestle a massive bite from one of the four legs.

I watched in fascinated horror as it succeeded in taking a hunk out of the ironwork; the Tower visibly shuddered, then tipped slightly. Popping the baton open to the phone function again, I found Ladybug still wasn't answering, nor did her ladybug logo appear on my tracker. I shuddered slightly to think I might have to deal with this creature on my own for a bit.

_Where are you, Ladybug?_ I thought as I stifled another cough and leapt toward the melee.

Loping across the marble on all fours, I could see that my initial guess was correct, with a minor adjustment. It definitely was a T-Rex, but of the robotic variety. I blinked as I got closer, and realized it wasn't a robot, but was, in fact, a four-story tall version of the dinosaur from the _Toy Story_ movies. As I took cover in the superstructure opposite where it was busily trying to tear apart the landmark, I realized that told me a few things.

First, it was likely this akuma victim was a child.

Second, reasoning with an angry child was going to be a problem.

Third, Hawkmoth would similarly have trouble controlling his victim.

I leapt upward, trying to get to eye-level with the akuma; I figured I might as well start by trotting out my usual distraction techniques. I was nearly there when I misjudged a handhold (that never happens) and tumbled downward; I flipped my baton around to try and stop my fall and fumbled it away from my paws.

That never happened, either.

As I fell toward the ground, I twisted and managed to redirect toward where the leg of the Tower I'd been climbing flared outward; trying to time it right, I held out my arms and managed to snag part of the ironwork, yanking my fall to an immediate stop that nearly dislocated both shoulders. Trying not to cry out at the pain, I hauled myself up to the crossbeam in time to see my baton smash into the pavers below, bounce and then roll away from the tower.

I didn't have time to consider whether to go for the baton or not, for the stubby arms of T-Rex appeared in my sightline, causing me to scrabble away from the edge and inward. "Hey kitty kitty kitty," I heard the toy screech. "Come out and play with me!" it cried as those tiny arms tried to reach me.

"Not today," I said as I pressed myself against a beam. This time, the coughing couldn't be stopped, and I doubled over trying to catch my breath. Watery eyed, I looked up to see it had leaned down, one beady eye staring at me.

"Kitty!" it cried, and I wondered whether I was playing through _Toy Story_ or _Monster's Inc._

Smiling at me, it opened its mouth and took a hunk out of the leg, metal tearing with a horrific shriek. The Tower angled toward where it had made a hole in the superstructure, and I had to dig my claws in not to slide down the ironwork toward it. I knew I needed a plan (just trying to keep from being eaten not really one per se), but the pounding in my head was hard to ignore.

Blinking to clear my vision – again – I realized that the world really _was_ tilting this time, it wasn't me. And that my claws were slowly gouging their way across the metal as I slid toward the waiting T-Rex.

I jammed my boot soles into the beam and managed to slow my descent, but then T-Rex took another hunk out of the Tower and the angle increased dramatically, enough so that I had to release my claws in order to drive them back in again. That succeeded in stopping my downward movement, but I knew I needed some breathing room. Looking around (and wishing I had my baton), I spied a higher crossbeam that fit the bill and coiled up before springing upward.

Grabbing the crossbeam, I flipped around and then scampered up again, finally managing to get high enough to revisit my initial plan. Standing, and trying not to cough, I saw I was just at head level for the critter. "I can't see how you can _cat_ch anything with arms like those," I said, trying to plaster my Chat smile on my face and keeping it from being too obvious that I was gasping with the effort it had taken to climb.

"Kitty!" it cried as it swung around to face me.

I scanned the toy as it glared at me, wondering where the akuma was hidden. Nothing seemed immediately obvious, but then again, it had been some time since I'd seen the movie, too. Had Rex worn a bracelet in that movie? Something told me he hadn't but my feline brain was fuzzy enough to not recall.

It seemed to be my best option, but short a baton _and_ a Ladybug, destroying the object wouldn't get me very far. I sighed as my eyes moved downward toward my baton, knowing my only course of action was to delay T-Rex long enough for Ladybug to arrive. And the only way to contact her was via the baton. I looked back and saw T-Rex was following my every movement with those odd beady eyes, no matter how minute.

Taking a deep breath, I rolled off the edge I was standing on and looped around one crossarm before dropping to the next and repeating twice more, landing on the marble in a crouch. T-Rex was right there when I landed, and I had to dash sideways to avoid his massive feet as they tried to (seriously?!) stomp on me. Huffing slightly, I reached my baton on the run and dove over the side of a retaining wall, burying myself in the floral display it was ringing.

T-Rex lumbered toward my position and I kept on elbows-and-knees, creeping through the flowers and away from the massive toy. Once I reached the other side of the planter, I rolled over the edge and pressed myself against the wall, listening intently for my akuma while snapping open the baton to try Ladybug once more.

This time she picked up immediately. "Chat?" she said, a bit hazy. "Where are you?"

"Gardening north of the Tower." I looked at her small image – she had a fine sheen of sweat along her brow, something I'd never seen before. "Are you okay, Milady?"

"Yeah, fine," she said. "I'm on the plaza," she said quickly. "What's the plan?"

I tried not to look shocked. "You're asking me…"

"Yes," she said curtly. "What do you think?"

Peering around the corner, I could see T-Rex had the typical short attention span and had moved back toward the Tower. "I think the akuma is in the bracelet on the left wrist. I've got my baton back, and it's closing on the Tower again, so I'd recommend coming at it from above. Depending on what your Lucky Charm is, I can drop down and hit it with Cataclysm, assuming I can get high enough."

I started coughing again, wheezing a bit to catch my breath.

"You're still not well, are you?" her small image said.

"Neither are you, Milady," I snapped back, suddenly weary of my condition.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"I infected you too, didn't I?"

"No! I'm fine," she insisted. "Just tired. Now get up as high as you can and I'll call for my Lucky Charm."

I started to answer but looked up to catch where T-Rex had positioned itself. A sudden plan popped into my head and I smiled a crafty smile that Ladybug saw on her phone.

"Whatever you're thinking-" she started.

"Hold off on your Charm," I said, smiling wider as I started to bound across the plaza. "But keep your yo-yo ready."

"Chat!"

I clicked off the phone and then extended the baton, using it to vault high into the air. Arcing up, I extended it again and rose further, springing off it at the last minute to hit the side of the Tower about ten meters above T-Rex. As I expected, the toy looked up at me, and raised it's stubby arms in the process.

_Purrfect_.

"Incoming!" I cried as I dove off the tower, baton extended.

I dropped fast, and angled directly toward the stubby arm that had the bracelet. Sensing, perhaps, what I was about to do, T-Rex started to flail it's arms at me as I approached. I tried to account for that, and managed to twist just enough that I nailed the bracelet with a full home-run swing of the baton a fraction of a second before the other arm grabbed my tail and hurled me in the opposite direction. I watched the bracelet shatter and release the purple akuma as I sailed away from the T-Rex at warp speed.

Somehow, I managed to hang on to my baton, and flipped it around to try and helicopter a bit to slow down. It was negligible, but I also saw I was headed for the massive fountains in the plaza and wound up curling into a ball, sending a massive cascade of water everywhere when I hit. The depth of the fountain was such that I had to push up from the bottom to get to the surface. A few strokes and I pulled myself over the edge of the fountain in time to see the white butterfly released from Ladybug's yo-yo.

And then I watched Ladybug crumple to the ground.

Swearing, loudly, I made a mad dash across the plaza toward my partner.


	5. Impartial Observer

**Five: Impartial Observer**

Gasping as I dropped to the side of my partner, I quickly gave her a once-over. She was laying there, yo-yo strung out from her hand, completely unconscious. Swearing again, I shook her. "Ladybug! _Ladybug!_"

Her eyes fluttered and she groaned. "The world is spinning," she said, groaning more loudly.

"Milady, this is all my fault! I never should—"

"It is what it is," she said, smiling weakly. "Man, this is one helluva bug you gave me."

"I'm getting you help," I said as I rolled up her yo-yo.

"I'll be fine. I just need to get home."

"Then I'll take you home," I said.

Her masked eyes flew open. "You can't do that, Chat," she said softly. "You know why."

"Then we're back to my original plan," I smirked as I snaked my arms beneath her and hefted her into my chest, aware Nadja was filming our every move. I tried to keep from huffing too badly, but Ladybug saw right through me.

"You're as bad as I am," she observed, but I noted she didn't fight me and instead gratefully placed her head on my shoulder. On any other day, it would be a victory of sorts; today, it was mute recognition of how badly she actually felt.

"Says you," I laughed, which devolved into a coughing fit that nearly had me drop her.

"We're quite the pair, aren't we?" she asked.

"We are indeed," I said as I took off across the plaza, belatedly realizing I was leaving the tilting Eiffel Tower in my wake. It would have to wait until I was sure Ladybug was on the mend; hopefully Paris would understand. We certainly had saved it enough times it owed us one.

I worked my way up onto the rooftops of Paris using the baton, then carefully crossed the city toward my destination. I knew I was taking a risk – a huge risk – but I trusted the person I was about to turn to for her discretion.

We had to stop a number of times, for the nausea portion of the illness finally caught up with Ladybug; she quite efficiently cleared out whatever she'd had for meals the past few days and I empathized deeply with the feeling that one's stomach had been turned inside out like a sea cucumber. By the time we arrived, it was well after dark and we were both completely exhausted.

I was well aware that I was now on borrowed time; sooner or later, someone was going to knock on my bedroom door back at the mansion and wonder where I had gotten to. But Ladybug was my priority. I'd deal with whatever mess I created later. And there was also the tiny matter of Marinette as well. As torn as I felt at the moment, I knew Mari's parents would be there in my absence, allowing me the time to make sure Ladybug was cared for.

Lights were on in one of a string of windows on the third floor of the building opposite where I huddled with Ladybug. She was alternating between coughing and retching, tearing a little piece of my soul each time. Scanning the windows again, I found what I was looking for – an open window.

"This will be tight," I muttered. "Hold on, Milady."

Judging the distance, I calculated the angle I needed and then leapt over the edge of the roof, helicoptering slightly to keep us on line. We safely sailed through the window, though the tips of my feline ears brushed the top edge of the window. Landing in a partial crouch, I stood and carefully laid my partner on top of the exam bed, then skulked to the door and cracked it to ensure the hallway outside was as empty as it sounded.

Ladybug moaned and I hurried back toward her, my cat reflexes coming in handy with getting the trashcan to her in the nick of time. "I didn't think you had anything left," I tried to joke.

"Not… funny…" she said as she leaned back onto the bed and squeezed her eyes closed. "Stop the world. I want to get off."

I moved back to the door and pulled it open more. The clinic's lights were off, so up to this point I'd been using my night vision to move around. There was a light on in the office at the end of the hall, though, and I expected I knew who was there.

Carefully, I moved through the hallway, not necessarily trying to be quiet, but also not trying to scare whoever was in the space. I paused when my feline hearing picked up the telltale squeak of sensible shoes on the commercial linoleum, followed by something heavy being lifted from something else made of stone.

Slowly, the door to the office opened, revealing the form of Doctor deFleur. "Who's there?" she called out, holding one hand behind her.

"I'm sorry to drop in on you, Doctor," I said formally. "But I need your assistance."

"Chat Noir?" she said, dropping whatever had been in her hand with a clatter. She moved to me quickly. "What is it? Are you hurt?"

"Not me," I said suppressing a cough. "She's in the exam room."

I turned and had her follow me to the room where I'd stashed Ladybug; deFleur pushed past me, and already had her stethoscope out. "How long as she been like this?"

"I'm not sure," I said. "She collapsed after we wrapped the last akuma; I think she was infected earlier."

deFleur whirled on me. "Infected? By who?"

I flushed, and hoped in the half-light coming from under the cabinet she couldn't see it. "Uh…"

Faster than I thought possible, she was in front of me, hand to my forehead. Nodding to herself, she pressed the stethoscope to my costumed chest. "Breath," she commanded.

I was so stunned I did as instructed. Two breaths in, I started coughing.

She frowned. "Sit over there," she said. "Let me confirm her status first."

I hopped into the chair and perched, cat-like, drawing a raised eyebrow from the doctor. I shrugged. "Cat," I said simply.

"More than I realized," she said, smiling slightly as she returned her attentions to my partner. As she continued to take Ladybug's vitals, she added, "I'm a Doctor, Chat, not a vet. I'm not certain what I can do for either of you."

"I understand," I said, hearing Doctor McCoy in her response and trying hard not to smile. "You were the first doctor I could think of, I'm sorry to put you on the spot."

Reaching for the digital thermometer hanging on the wall over the bed, she ran it across Ladybug's forehead. "How did you know I'd still be here?"

"All of your patients know that," I laughed, before realizing I'd slipped. "And I happen to know one of them," I added quickly. "He speaks… highly of you."

That seemed to confirm something for her. "It's not a secret at all," she laughed. "But it's mostly due to that insane electronic medical record system we have to use now. It takes me twenty times as long to enter in a diagnosis of hangnail." She paused. "Damn technology. Supposed to make life easier…"

The thermometer beeped and she clucked. "That is not good," she said, switching tips and then turning to me and repeating the move. A moment later, it beeped for me. "Wow, you're just a half degree cooler. How in the name of Hippocrates are the two of you still standing?"

I shrugged again. "I assume it's the magic," I said.

She nodded slightly. "That makes you Chat, and her Ladybug?"

"Yeah," I said. "I don't know if it helps, but my alter-ego is just as under the weather as I am." My masked eyes flicked to Ladybug's form. "I have to assume hers is to."

deFleur's eyes narrowed. "You… you don't know her identity?" She looked between us. "And she doesn't know yours?"

I nodded. "It protects us and our families." I paused, looking at Ladybug. "And our loved ones."

"That's insane!" the doctor cried.

"It comes with the mask," I said sadly.

deFleur looked at me. "You had this first?"

"Yeah," I said. "I started to feel the effects late yesterday afternoon."

"How many people did you come into contact with?"

"Two," I said, deciding I needed to be honest with her this time. "Ladybug and a student in my class."

"As Chat?"

I nodded again. "And before you ask, I'm reasonably sure neither interacted with anyone. School was cancelled today because of the morning akuma."

She looked at me longer. "How old are you?"

"Uh…"

"I mean, are you and Ladybug in college or in high school?"

"High school," I said quietly. "But no one knows that, Doctor."

"Don't worry," she said as she moved to the cabinet and looked through it for something. "We'll consider this part of the doctor-superhero confidentiality we offer as part of our services." She turned back toward me suddenly. "But seriously? High school?"

"Yeah."

Shaking her head, she turned back to the cabinet. "I was already amazed with the exploits of you two, but now knowing you're no older than some of my patients makes me torn between being angry that kids have been put in this position and being insanely impressed that the two of you willingly took this on."

"It's important," I said simply. "It's something I can do to protect the city I love." I looked to Ladybug. "I know she feels similarly."

"Ah-hah!" deFleur cried as she produced a pair of small cylindrical packages. "Super Tylenol," she said. "I'd have to run tests to be sure, but I've seen this already today," she added, looking at me intensely. "It's viral, so there's not much I can do other than try to knock the fever down so the patient can rest."

"Let me guess. Rest and liquids?" I smirked. "I feel like doctors _always_ tell me that."

"Because it's generally sound advice," she said, glaring at me over her glasses as she opened one of the packs. It appeared to be a pre-loaded needle, which the doctor immediately moved to insert into Ladybug's forearm.

"I'm not sure that's gonna work," I cautioned.

"Don't worry," deFleur said as she wiped an area on Ladybug's costume with a small cotton ball dabbed in disinfectant. "I've done this a million times-whoop!" she cried as she snapped the needle against the fabric.

She turned to me, arched eyebrow. "The costume protects us," I shrugged.

deFleur said something under her breath salty enough that my ears flicked in surprise. "I might have the liquid version out at the nurse's station," she remarked as she headed for the door. "Don't go anywhere."

I remained in my perch, ignoring the urge to cough and trying hard not to close my eyes against the pounding in my head. deFleur returned a moment later with two small cups, one of which she handed to me. "I hope you like cherry," she said as she moved to Ladybug. "We seem to be out of raspberry."

Downing it in a single gulp, I grimaced. "It still tastes awful," I mewled.

Her head snapped around, and I felt like I had again confirmed something for her. The flush started again on my face, and she stepped toward me.

"You are very brave to be doing what you do," she said, then added with a smile. "Every superhero has a secret doctor or nurse they go to in a pinch; I'm honored you chose me, and I will do everything I can to uphold your faith in me." Gently, she squeezed my bicep before turning back to Ladybug.

Carefully, she managed to wake her and get her to drink the liquid; Ladybug groggily thanked her before closing her eyes once more. deFleur turned back to me. "I'm going to give you three more doses for each of you; take them four to six hours apart. If your fever doesn't break by the final dose, come back."

"Got it. Rest, liquids, three more doses."

I looked at her and found myself overwhelmed with guilt. I'd managed to get two of the most important people in my life sick. "Doctor," I asked, "can I take a third set of doses?"

She nodded. "For your classmate?"

"Yes," I said. "Once I figure out how to get Ladybug home, I'm going to check on her."

"You need to rest yourself," she chided me. "But I understand."

She ducked back out and came back again with more medicine, which she handed me. "Same rules," she said as I unzipped a costume pocket and stowed all of the doses for Marinette and myself.

Hopping down, I tapped Ladybug's yo-yo and dropped her doses into the storage compartment, smiling when deFleur's eyes bugged out. "It's much bigger on the inside," I laughed slightly.

"Clearly."

I looked at my partner, who was softly snoring. "LB," I said quietly into an ear. "I've got to get you home."

She stirred, opening her masked blue eyes and looking at me. "Chat," she smiled. "I'm sorry, this thing just wiped me out."

"I know, bugaboo," I said. "You need to rest. But you can't get home by yourself."

Her eyes widened. "Chat – you _can't _take me home."

"I can," I said. "If you don't let me, I'll take you to _my_ home."

That brought her up off the table. "Absolutely not!" she said forcefully.

"Then we seem to be at an impasse," I observed.

We glared at each other for a few moments before Doctor deFleur stepped in. "This is crazy," she said. "Simply crazy." She looked at me. "Take her to a point she says is close. Then wait for her to let you know she got home." She turned back to Ladybug. "Will that work?"

"Yes," Ladybug said grudgingly.

"I'd prefer to make sure she gets home," I said.

"Not gonna happen," Ladybug said firmly.

deFleur shook her head again. "I can't believe the two of you are in love with each other."

Both of us turned toward the doctor; Ladybug spoke before I could. "I don't know what—"

"Get some rest," the doctor said as she backed out the door. "Call me if you don't get better."

And with that, she left us alone in the exam room, staring at each other.


	6. Split Infinitives

**Six: Split Infinitives**

In the end, I agreed to ferry Ladybug to Dupont, which she allowed was reasonably close to where she lived; I didn't push the point other than to remind her I'd be waiting on the roof of the school until she called me to indicate she'd gotten home safe and sound. It was a tense moment when we arrived at the school, and I was loath to keep my end of the bargain. "I'm going to stay transformed as long as I can," I said, "so if you need anything, you just call me and I'll be by your side as quickly as possible."

"That's not necessary, Chat," she said softly. "You need a break as much as I do."

"It is _completely_ necessary," I said. "I need to make one stop first and then I'll be home myself."

"Promise you'll get some rest?"

"I will," I smiled tiredly, before inclining my head at the Eiffel Tower, still tilting in the distance. "Do you feel up to fixing that?"

Following my gaze she frowned. "Whoops. Well, maybe," she said.

"Go low key," I advised.

Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo and gently tossed it into the air in front of her. "Lucky Charm!" she said, then doubled over, coughing.

My feline reflexes were tested, but I managed to snatch a red-with-black-polka-dotted thermometer from the air before it smashed on the roof tile. Arching a masked eyebrow, I looked between my partner and the Charm in my paw. "Even your magic agrees with me," I teased.

"Not funny," she said shortly, grabbing the thermometer from my paw and tossing it into the air, higher. "Miraculous Ladybug!" she cried, before devolving into another fit of coughing.

This time, I pulled her into an embrace, tactfully not commenting on the fact that I'd caught her before she'd crumpled to the ground again from the effort. Gently holding her, I watched as her helpers flooded Paris and righting the slanted Tower before bursting in a flash of white.

"Nicely done, Milady," I said softly. "Now, are you _sure_ I can't get you home?"

"Yes," she said as she pushed back from me. Looking up at my masked green eyes, though, I could see something softer than normal in her blue. "I appreciate your concern, Chat. It means a lot to me."

Arching that masked eyebrow higher, I said, very softly, "But not enough for you to let me to help you."

"You've done enough already," she smiled tiredly. "Honestly, I do appreciate it. But, please go home?"

"Once I know you're home safely," I said firmly.

"All right," she agreed.

Ladybug flung her yo-yo to the sky and zipped away from me, and I waited until I was sure she was out of eyesight to slump back against the concrete wall I'd been pulling off a "casual lean" while she'd been there with me. Despite my promise, it took an amazing amount of willpower not to click into my Ladybug Tracker and quietly follow behind her to ensure she made it safely. About fifteen minutes later, the baton in my paw buzzed and I popped it open to see my partner. "Safe and sound," she smiled. "Now, go home."

"One stop first," I reminded her.

"Be quick about it," she said. "And thanks."

"My pawlesure," I smiled as I closed the baton and leapt away toward the Bakery.

I was still wasted but managed to push myself enough to land atop the rooftop patio with a rubbery thump. The lights were off, but I easily made my way to the skylight, where I tapped gently with my claws. "Princess?" I called out as loudly as I dared.

Pressing a feline ear to the skylight (and suppressing a cough of my own), I heard Marinette below me. "C'mon down, Chat," she said before coughing herself.

I cracked open the skylight and saw the outline of my friend in her bed. "This is totally my fault," I said as I dropped onto the edge of her bed and balanced there. Reaching over a paw, I felt her forehead and realized it was just as hot as I felt myself. "Oh, Mari," I sighed.

"Hey, Chat," she said. "It's all right."

"No, it's meownt. Look, I brought some stuff from the doctor," I said, unzipping my costume pocket and producing four vials of the Super Tylenol. "You should take one of these now."

Marinette pushed herself up and I saw her shake her head in the false colors of my night vision. "I just took some Tylenol," she said. "I should wait until that wears off before I take any more," she explained. "But if you put those on my desk, I'll start the next round with them."

"Okay," I said, and I dropped off the bed and did as instructed before pulling myself back to the edge of her bed.

"You should go home," she said, oddly echoing Ladybug's inflection.

"I will in a bit," I replied. "Do you want something? You should probably have more liquid – is any of that broth left?"

"Will you go home if I have some?"

"Yes," I lied.

"You are one stubborn kitty," she sighed with resignation. "If you can sneak to the kitchen, maman left some in a crockpot for me. Bowls are in the cupboard above."

"On it," I said as I dropped off the bed again.

"Chat—bring two bowls. You should have some too."

"Of course," I laughed.

Opening the trapdoor, I pulled out all of my stealthy black cat tricks and crept toward the kitchen; I knew from my phone call with Ladybug it was close to midnight – well past when Adrien would have been missed. Since I'd not gotten a missing child alert on my baton, I could only guess that no one had checked on me yet at the mansion.

Par for the course.

I slipped past her parents' room, who were snoring soundly, and then down one more floor to the kitchen. My somewhat congested feline nose easily found the fragrant broth, and I scooped two bowls worth out and deftly carried them back to her room. Placing one on her desk, I snapped on her task lamp and then carefully handed her the other bowl, along with a spoon, before pulling myself back up to perch on the siderail of her bed.

She glared at me, eyes flicking between the paws gripping the siderail and my masked visage. "You're not going to watch me eat, are you?"

"Yes," I smiled.

"Seriously?" she complained, but nonetheless began spooning up the broth.

As I suspected, she was hungrier than she thought, and I swapped out her empty bowl for the second I'd brought up; she made shorter work of that one and as she handed it back to me, sleepily thanked me. "I'm just going to sleep now," she said. "Go home."

"I will, Princess," I said. "I'll just put these bowls back in the kitchen first."

"Okay," she yawned.

By the time I'd returned from my second trip to the kitchen, she was fast asleep.

I snapped off the light and set my baton for an alarm in four hours, then curled up atop the couch at the far end of her room. As tired as I was, it didn't take much for me to quickly fall asleep; it felt like I had just closed my eyes when the baton buzzed me awake. Stretching, I unzipped my pocket and took my own dose of the Super Tylenol before unfolding myself and padding over to Marinette's supply. Grabbing one, I carefully pulled myself up to the bed once more.

Marinette was damp with sweat and the sheets spoke to how lightly she'd been sleeping. I gently put a paw to her shoulder, and her eyes fluttered open immediately, searching the darkness before focusing on my glowing eyes. "Chat?" she croaked, her throat dry. "Why—"

"I was in the area and knew it was time for another dose," I whispered as I picked up her hand and placed the Super Tylenol in it. "Take this and I'll see if I can rustle up some tea."

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

"Not long," I lied.

"Liar," she immediately replied, but she took the vial and downed it.

I snuck back to the kitchen and risked putting on the kettle; I was able to snap it off before it whistled and then poured the steaming contents into a teapot I located in the china closet. I took that plus two cups, liquid lemon juice I found in the fridge and the canister of honey back to her room and placed the whole setup on her desk.

"What was the ratio of honey to lemon?" I asked as I cracked open the container of the sticky substance.

"Teaspoon of each," came the reply.

I hadn't thought to bring any measuring spoons, so I risked guessing what that meant by pouring a small amount of lemon and an equally small amount of honey into the cup before adding the hot water. I swirled it to mix and then carefully brought it to Marinette. "No purromises," I laughed. "For I don't know my way around the kitchen at all."

"We'll have to work on that at some point." She accepted the cup and took a small sip, and raised her eyebrows approvingly before taking a longer one. "Not bad."

"Beginner's luck," I said.

Marinette downed the rest of the cup and handed it back to me. "_Now_ will you go home?"

I popped open the baton and saw it was close to four-thirty. "Only if you purromise me you'll stay home from school today, Princess."

"I can't argue with those terms," she said as she sagged back to her pillow, "for I don't want to go _anywhere_ at the moment."

"Good," I said, as I leaned over and pressed my paw to her forehead once more. "I think you're cooler."

Marinette returned the favor, brushing back a lock of my hair to press her palm to my forehead while I was leaning over her. "You too," she said. "But I'd want to prove it with a thermometer."

"Stay home?" I urged as I moved to go through the skylight.

"I will."

"I'll be back in a few hours," I promised.

"Chat—"

"It's important for me to know you're okay," I explained. "I got both of you into this, I'm going to try and fix it." I sighed. "It sorta makes me glad she never heard me."

"Who?" Marinette asked, pushing herself up. "What are you talking about?"

I sighed again. "It looks like I managed to infect the two most important people in my life," I said sadly as I lifted the door. "I guess it goes with being a black cat. I manage to make a mess of everything I care about."

"Chat—"

"I'll see you later," I called back as I pushed through into the early morning air.

I _was_ feeling better; as I moved to the railing to leap into the sky, the pounding in my head had been reduced to a dull ache, and I felt a bit like I was breathing a bit better. The hint of a cough appeared from time to time, but overall, other than the exhaustion, I felt more like me than I had in a while. And, to be honest, the cool early morning air felt good against my still slightly fevered skin.

Halfway home, I paused long enough to try Ladybug. It took longer than normal, but finally connected, though audio only. I lifted the phone to my ear. "LB? I probably woke you."

"I was up," her voice said groggily. "It was time for another dose of that vile vial," she added with a bit of Chat aplomb. "Honestly, what scientist believed that was an actual fruit flavor?"

I chuckled. "I imagine they never get sick and have to take it."

"Or have kids of their own," she replied. "I'm going back to bed, and you should to."

"I will," I said, "but I'd prefer to check on you purrsonally."

"Chat, we've been over this. Let me put that fur brain of yours at ease: I've got someone taking care of me. Don't worry."

"I do," I said. "And I will. He'd better be treating you right."

She laughed. "Green-eyed monster rears its ugly head again," she said. "Don't worry. _He_ is being the purrfect gentlemen."

"Good. But I still—"

Ladybug sighed over the open connection. "If I'm up to it, I'll meet you on our rooftop this evening. Will that work?"

"I'll take what I can get," I answered. "Pawleasant dreams, Milady."

"Thanks, Chat. And Chat," she added, "thanks for being concerned. This isn't your fault."

"It is," I said, "but I appreciate the sentiment."

I snapped the baton shut, ending the conversation, and stared across the rooftops of Paris in the early morning pre-dawn. Despite what Ladybug thought, I was very much on the hook for her illness. The rapidity the illness had manifested for her, though, gave me pause, especially given how little time I'd spent with her since Desperada. Unsure of what it meant, I helicoptered back into the sky toward the mansion.

Clearly indicating that I'd not been missed in any way, my bathroom window was still open and I slid through into a standard four-point landing on the tile. Standing (and after closing the window), I moved to the vanity and unzipped a costume pocket, decanting the final doses of Super Tylenol to the granite counter for later.

"Plagg – claws in!"

The glow of de-transformation washed over me, and Plagg joined me at the door to the space where I leaned my human ear in to ensure the space was empty. "Clear," he said with a smile.

Sliding the door open, I made my way through the darkened space toward my bed. The sheets were still in a wodge from where I'd left them earlier, another indicator that not even Nathalie had checked in on me that afternoon. I wondered what had caught her attention so thoroughly that she'd forgotten about the sick child one floor above her, though it worked in my favor that she had.

As my head hit the pillow, Plagg settled in next to me on his. My kwami quickly dozed off, but I remained awake, staring at the ceiling and trying to reconcile my disjointed thoughts while beating back my protective impulses to vault back out the window to be by Marinette's side. Or to somehow track down Ladybug and do the same.

Sunshine began to streak through the tall windows of my bedroom when my semi-enhanced human hearing picked up footfalls on the staircase. If I'd been Chat, I could have determined who was coming; as Adrien, it was enough to know I was going to have a visitor. I flipped to my side and poked Plagg, who intuitively knew what I was about and quickly phased into the bathroom.

There was a knock on my door – which in itself was unusual – followed by the voice of Doctor deFleur. "Adrien?" she called out as she gently cracked open the portal.

"Here," I said, leaning up to watch her as she entered via the door closest to the bathroom. "Hey, Doc," I smiled. "This is an early housecall."

She smiled and shrugged as she placed her medical bag on my bed and sat next to it. "I wanted to stop by before my practice opened," she said as she pulled out her portable thermometer and then her stethoscope. "It's going to be a busy day; longer, since I had some visitors last night."

I tried to keep my face impassive. "Really?"

"Yes," she said as she swabbed the thermometer across my forehead. "It put me a bit behind on my paperwork." She looked at the display. "Good, your fever has broken."

I nodded. "I'm feeling better."

"I'll bet, but you still need rest. And—"

"Lots of fluids."

She smiled again. "So you _are_ paying attention."

"I try," I replied.

"I think you should stay home again today," she continued as she pressed the stethoscope to my chest. "I've already spoken to Nathalie and she's also agreed to postpone the extracurriculars you had through Monday." deFleur sat back. "Take the weekend off, Adrien," she said pointedly. "You could use it."

Wondering if I was picking up the double entendre correctly, I nodded carefully. "That would be nice," I said slowly, then asked: "Would I be able to… I mean, could I hang out with a friend?"

deFleur smiled. "I don't see why not," she replied. "As long as you don't _exert_ yourself, it would do you good to get out of this bedroom for a bit."

"I'll do my best," I said honestly, unsure if Hawkmoth would honor her wishes on my behalf.

"Good," she said. "Let me wash up and I'll get out of your hair."

I nodded and watched her head toward my bathroom; only then did I remember the Super Tylenol that was sitting by the sink. The very vials she'd given Chat. Eyes widening with panic, I started to call out. "Doctor—"

"One moment," she said as she disappeared into my bathroom. "I'll be right—"

She trailed off unexpectedly, and in an instant, I knew she'd seen the vials.

Heart beating so rapidly I could hear it in my ears, I slid off my bed, frantically trying to think of something to explain away the medicine. I'd made it as far as my desk when deFleur appeared at my door, bemused expression on her face.

"Well," she said, holding one of the vials in her hand. "Not entirely unexpected."

Despite the dregs of the fever, I felt the blood drain from my face. "Doctor, it's not what you think-"

"Maybe not," she said, as she returned to the bathroom and finally ran the water.

I hovered at the edge of my desk, frozen completely. I'd faced countless super villains, and yet, the prospect of the next few minutes was terrifying me.

The doctor returned to the doorway, and looked at me. "I wish you'd been truthful with me yesterday about how many people you'd come into contact with."

My heart threatened to come out of my chest. "I _was_ being truthful," I said slowly. "_I'd_ not seen any of my classmates during the infectious stage."

"But Chat did."

Her simple statement carried so much weight, I sank down into my desk chair. "Yes," I said after a long minute.

"When did he visit?" she asked me.

My head snapped in her direction. "Sorry?" I said, unsure I'd heard her correctly.

"When did Chat stop by?" she asked. "Those vials are the ones I gave him for the second person he thought he'd infected," she explained. "I'm assuming you were that classmate."

Processing rapidly, I looked away. "Chat stops by a few times each week," I said, making it seem like a grudging admission. "I don't get out much, so it's a welcome change of pace for me. I guess he was here two nights back? He doesn't really have a schedule."

I looked back at her, wondering if she was truly buying what I was selling, but nonetheless plowed on. I'm not very good at lying, so I stayed as close to the actual truth as I could, such as it was. "He made an unusual appearance a little after midnight this morning," I continued, "and gave me vials you'd given him. He… he's quite upset that he infected me. I took a dose when he arrived, and one just a little while ago."

"Yeah, he said something along those lines at the practice." She smiled. "Paris is quite lucky to have him – and Ladybug, for that matter. They really do care about the city and those who live in it."

Doctor deFleur stepped over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Even if he is just a teenager," she added softly. "I admit to being impressed at how willingly Chat takes on the burden of being a hero."

Still unsure if I'd managed to avoid revealing my alter-ego, I smiled back at her. "Well, he must think it's the right thing to do."

deFleur nodded. "An old soul in a young body," she said fondly, and I was unsure to whom she was referring.

Thinking I might be on safer ground, I decided to venture a question I'd planned on asking her. "Doctor?"

deFleur turned from where she'd started to pack up her bag, her face in a question. "Adrien?"

"What was the incubation/contagious period for this virus?"

The doctor came back to my side, pensive. "That's a hard one, without knowing the specific virus you had. But I'd say eight hours. Maybe shorter; based on what you told me, your symptoms came on pretty fast."

I tried to do the math in my head; Marinette's illness pattern fit. But based on when I'd seen Ladybug, I technically would have been outside that window. It was possible she'd picked up a different bug, but her symptoms matched those of myself and Marinette. And LB seemed to be nearly at the same point on the cycle of the virus as Marinette.

Odd. It was a mystery and as a cat, I hated them.

"Thanks," I said, then slid off the chair. "Uh, I'm sorry, but all that liquid…" I continued as I made a beeline for the bathroom myself.

"Of course," deFleur chuckled. "I'll see myself out."

I slid the door to the bathroom closed and didn't wait for deFleur to head down the steps. "Plagg – claws out!" I said swiftly.

The ring pulled him out of wherever he'd been hiding; I saw his rather startled expression a moment before he merged with the ring and promised to apologize to him later. As soon as the green glow of transformation passed over me, I yanked the baton from my back and speed-dialed Ladybug. It rang straight to voicemail, and I left her a message.

"LB, it's me. Just…" I looked to the ceiling of my bathroom. "Uh, well, I obviously want to check in and see how you're doing. Call me. I'll be transformed all day."

Snapping the baton shut, I shoved my remaining doses back into my costumer pocket before moving toward the bathroom window. I might not be able to lend a paw to Ladybug, but I knew where my Princess was. I was determined to be useful to someone and vaulted out into the early morning sunshine.


	7. Hold The Phone

**Seven: Hold The Phone...**

I tried Ladybug two more times before landing with a rubbery thump on the rooftop patio of the Bakery. The sun was in its early morning slot, with long golden rays of light slicing across the space and casting long shadows from the chimney and brick walls. I'd landed in my normal crouch and took just an extra moment to enjoy the warmth of the sun against my costume. Knowing if I didn't move I'd curl up into a purring ball of fur, I reluctantly trotted over to the skylight and tapped my claws against it.

"Princess?" I called out quietly. Cocking a feline ear, I thought I heard movement.

"Knock, knock," I called out again, slightly louder. Still there was nothing from the bedroom.

I tapped my claws again, slightly harder, and leaned a feline ear against the skylight. I could hear her snoring below and for a brief moment debated the wisdom of entering without being invited. The moment passed and I gently slid the skylight open just enough to drop through to her room quietly.

The drapes had been pulled against the sunshine, keeping the space dark. I moved to the desk and counted vials, noting she'd downed her next dose on time. That made me smile; at least I'd managed to impress upon her the importance of taking it. Quietly, I moved to the couch and hopped up to it, folding myself into a patient cat stance before pulling out my baton once more.

Popping it into phone mode, I verified that Ladybug hadn't called me back or left a voicemail and immediately frowned. While it wasn't unusual for either of us to be unable to respond to the other outside of akuma situations, I'd expected she'd at the very least transform somewhat regularly to assuage my concerns about her health. Eyes flicking up to the slumbering Marinette, I took a chance and speed dialed Ladybug once more.

A fraction of a second later, an incessant buzzing started across the room from me; it took my feline hearing a nanosecond to place the source over by Marinette's desk. The buzzing quit as soon as my call to Ladybug went to voicemail.

I sat there for a moment, processing. Then, without thinking, I redialed Ladybug.

_Buzz…. _

_Buzz…. _

_Buzz…. _

Voicemail.

Still disbelieving, I used a claw to scroll though the four contacts I had on the baton and called Marinette.

_Buzz…._

_Buzz…._

_Buzz…._

Voicemail.

I'm not entirely sure how long I sat there, slack jawed, baton snapped open to phone mode while my feline brain melted down. Maybe fifteen minutes passed before I finally slid it closed and returned it to the small of my back.

This wasn't happening.

This _couldn't_ be happening.

And yet, the tiny rational part of my feline brain was yelling in all caps, _it is._

_You should forward your Cat Phone to your civilian phone_, she'd said. _Ask your kwami_.

"Excellent advice, Milady," I said softly as I stepped off the couch and hopped up to the railing of her bed to re-perch.

Now I understood everything – how it was pawssible that _both_ would be ill at the same time, with the same symptoms. I admit to being frequently clueless, but even I was having trouble with how LB had caught the bug given how little exposure she'd had to me. Purrhaps, in the back of my feline brain, I'd already made the connection and had simply not been ready to face it. Looking at the angelic face of my best friend as she slept, and now seeing that of my partner, I smiled broader. In her own way, she'd tried to tell me, too, hadn't she?

_Purrfect gentlemen, indeed._

I also knew this was _not_ how she'd want me to find out. Neither of us were ready for this kind of a reveal. Not now – but maybe, perhaps, a bit later. The real question was how I'd be able to deal with the fact that the love of my life was also a student in my class; I smiled a bit when I connected the next dot and realized who it was that Ladybug was actually in love with.

Unfortunately, my original concern that had brought me to Marinette in the first place a few days ago took on a whole new significance, making me wonder in no small part if she would re-evaluate my performance as Adrien during that long month once she knew I was Chat. Would that make it easier for her to accept my failures? Or would it – _could_ it – change her feelings toward me? I wasn't entirely certain it would be in my best interests to reveal anything until I could determine where I stood.

Arching a masked eyebrow, I laughed quietly. "We are a pair indeed, Milady," I whispered. "Pining away for the other without realizing it." I leaned over and used a claw to push back a stray lock of hair that had covered her face. "I don't know how," I said quietly, "but I will figure out a way to make this work. You'll find out who I am, and I you, properly."

Marinette stirred, and then stifled a cough. Shifting slightly, her eyes fluttered and then locked onto my faintly glowing ones. "Chat?" she asked groggily. "How long have you been here?"

"I said I'd come back," I replied, gently pressing the back of my paw to her forehead. "I wanted to check in on both you and Ladybug," I added without a trace of irony. "I can't seem to reach her, but assume she's doing better. Your temperature feels lower."

"The Super Tylenol seems to be working," she said as she pushed herself into a seated position. "I appreciate you bringing it. How about you?"

"Much better," I smiled, meaning it in more ways than one. "Doctor told me to take it easy for the next few days, but also told me I could hang with my friend. As long as I didn't exert myself."

"I like your doctor," she smiled. "Smart."

"That she is," I sighed. "Hopefully Hawkmoth will get the memo."

"Me, too," she replied. "I'll be honest, I wouldn't mind the company today. If you can spare it."

"I'm all yours, Princess," I said.

_In every way possible,_ I added mentally. _You just don't know it yet_.

* * *

This time around, I presented myself to her parents so they knew I was with Marinette; Sabine was ecstatic, though Tom still seemed a bit wary of me, given our recent weredad experience. With her mother's help, I managed to get something of a breakfast into Marinette before we decamped for the rooftop patio. Reversing our roles, I insisted that Marinette stay in her chaise, wrapped in a blanket, while I took up position on an upended planter. I perched there, the rest of the day, chatting with Marinette while she was awake, or watching her carefully as she nodded off for a nap or two.

I managed to get the final dose of Super Tylenol into her just after lunch, and then let her snooze in the warm afternoon sunlight. Feeling like we were both through the worst of it, and wondering if I could get away with it, I slid her legs slightly to the side and curled up at the end of her chaise, finally allowing myself a quick catnap. The warmth of the sun soon lulled me to sleep.

A gentle shake on my costumed shoulder and I was immediately awake, masked face turned toward the source. Sabine was standing over me, smiling. "Chat, I don't know if you need to get home, but it's fairly close to the dinner hour."

"I probably should," I groaned, "but I hate to leave her."

"I know," Sabine said as she stepped back so I could slip off the chaise. "Don't worry; she's through the worst of it. As you appear to be."

Marinette was still sleeping; I leaned over one last time and pressed the back of a paw to her forehead, nodding at how much cooler to the touch she was. Turning back to Sabine, I said: "I'll be back later. You'll tell her?"

"Of course."

"Thanks," I said as I pulled my baton out and leapt to the railing. I paused and turned back. "I'm sorry about this."

"Whatever for?" Sabine said, eyes wide. "You can't control these things. They happen. What's important it how you deal with them." She smiled wider. "Remember that."

I nodded and leapt away for home.


	8. Charm Offensive

**Eight: Charm Offensive**

Nathalie deemed me well enough to have a normal dinner at the mansion, albeit of the lonely variety; after ensuring I'd stolen enough cheese for Plagg, I escaped to my bedroom and immediately transformed so I could return to the Bakery as promised. I knew I was feeling far better than I had in days, though still a bit tired. That meant Marinette should be well on the mend by now, too.

Leaping to the open bedroom window, my baton chirped just as I perched on the windowsill. Surprised, I slid it from my back and popped it open to see Ladybug had left me a text.

**_Bugaboo_**_: Hey, sorry I missed your call. Feeling better, can meet later as promised if you want?_

Wondering how to play this exactly, I arched a masked eyebrow and then tapped out a response with my claws.

**_Chat_**_: Sure… just heading out to visit my friend. Maybe after? 2000ish?_

**_Bugaboo_**_: That works. See you tonight._

I smiled as I snapped the baton shut and leapt into the night. With luck, that should give me some quality time with Marinette while still leaving enough of a margin for her to be able to transform and meet me later as Ladybug. The smile turned a bit toward a frown, though, as I realized I'd need to be very careful not to tip my hand. It was going to be tough not to blurt out who I was, and that I knew who she was.

This bug we caught? It had changed _everything_.

As I moved through the evening, it occurred to me I'd caught an entirely different bug altogether. One that I would have given anything to catch; smiling as I hit my first roof on a run, I cautiously wondered if my luck was turning. Black cat I might have been, I wasn't given to superstitions; still, I desperately didn't want to screw up this chance I'd been given.

The lights were on over the Bakery patio, and I landed in my usual spot atop a chimney flue. Marinette was right where I had left her earlier, cozily wrapped in a blanket on her chaise. "Evening, Purrincess," I said.

She cracked an eye at me. "Hey, kitty. Come on down."

Vaulting down to the railing, I leapt to the upturned planter I had recently claimed as my own and perched, cat-style. "You look better."

Stretching, she smiled. "Getting there," she said. "The sleep is doing me good. I've been burning the candle at both ends lately."

I nodded, knowing how true that statement actually was. "Excellent. When I talked to the Doctor this morning, she thought it was good we had the weekend to finish recovering." I looked across the city for a moment. "I'll tell Ladybug that tonight when I see her. Hopefully Hawkmoth will take the weekend off; I know I could use one myself."

"Chat," Marinette said as she flipped more in my direction. "I know you think you gave this to me, but it's just as likely I picked it up on my own." She paused. "The same is probably true for Ladybug."

"Maybe," I nodded. "But both of you fell ill after I saw you. I'm not a total scientist, but that seems like evidence to me."

"I'd say you are missing a few data points," she laughed. "Still, let it go. Whatever you _thought_ you did, you've more than made up for it in my book; I'm sure Ladybug feels the same."

"That's nice of you to say," I smiled. Meaningfully, I slid my baton out and popped open the phone. Looking back up at her, I donned my cheesiest Chat smile. "Speaking of burning the candle at both ends, I need to scat so I can meet up with my lady. I'll be back again bright and early tomorrow morning," I said as I returned it to the small of my back.

"You don't need to do that, Chat," she said.

"I know. But if I don't, I'll go stir crazy at my place." I leapt back to the railing and stood. "Maybe I'll even bring breakfast," I smirked.

"I live in a Bakery, Chat," Marienette said. "What could you possibly bring—"

"Something you'd never make in a million years." And with that, I fell over backwards and double-barrel-rolled into the night leaving a perplexed Marinette in my wake.

I took my time working my way to our rendezvous rooftop, and still managed to arrive about five minutes early. It was one of many slanted tile surfaces that provided a magnificent view of the Eiffel Tower; more so at night, when it was fully lit. I leaned on my hands, boots crossed, humming to myself a strange tune I'd caught coming out of a café on my way over; I'd only heard a snatch of the lyrics, something about walls between people, but the beat was infectious. Even my tail was tapping in time against the tile. I knew I'd have to locate it in the music store when I returned to the mansion.

Feline ears flicking on Ladybug's approach, I turned to watch her deftly descend on her yo-yo, gracefully landing next to me. "Chat," she nodded as she settled in on the tile beside me. "Goodness, that is beautiful tonight, isn't it?" she said as her blue eyes took in the Tower.

My masked eyes still on her, I replied, "Yes, exceedingly beautiful."

Ladybug turned back toward me, smiling. "I was referring to the Tower."

"I know," I smirked.

She put a gloved hand to my chin. "You never give up, do you?"

"No, Milady; not when my heart is in play." I let her turn my face toward the tower, but not without smirking. "Nah," I said after a long moment of observation, "my initial view was superior."

I didn't need to see her face to know she'd rolled her eyes at me. It was still cute.

"So, I saw Doctor deFleur this morning. She recommended rest; I'm hoping Hawkmoth gives us the weekend off."

"Me, too," Ladybug agreed before stretching. "I've slept more like a cat than a human as of late."

"We know what we're doing," I concurred. "But even I could use a bit more."

I felt a hand to my shoulder. "Chat, I know you've been running yourself ragged between checking on me and this other friend you think you infected. I'm not entirely certain why you feel like you've needed to do it, though I have my suspicions. Regardless, though, you need to rest a bit yourself."

I turned and caught something new in those blue eyes I adored. Something I'd long wanted to see – it was the look I gave Ladybug every time I saw her. And now, if I were honest, Marinette.

_Careful, Chat,_ I cautioned myself. _Go slow._

"I had to help you and… her," I said carefully. "It was never a question in my mind. I didn't do much, I suppose, other than to be there. For her." I looked back at Ladybug. "For you."

"Sometimes, that is everything," Ladybug said softly, squeezing my bicep affectionately. "We've done this for a while now, Chat, and I'm sure I've not told you this enough."

Ladybug looked away, uncomfortable for a moment. "I rely on you more than you probably know; I'll be honest, until very recently I'm not certain _I_ realized how very much I need you."

It was unusual for Ladybug to be so open with me, and I tried to keep the shock off of my face. "Milady—"

"You were slow to appear during Desperada," she continued. "I thought I could fight her off on my own; but my Lucky Charm sent me to Master Fu for a new Miraculous."

Looking up at the sky, I thought I saw tears in her eyes. I kept quiet, but snuggled up beside her, wrapping an arm across her shoulders for support. "Tell me," I said quietly.

She put her hand on my paw. "You asked me a while back how much I remembered down there in those sewers," she said. "As it turns out, quite a bit. I know I asked the impossible of one of my closest friends, and nearly did it again with another. And in the process, practically pushed a third away when I needed him the most."

Ladybug turned her head toward me. "I don't obviously remember _all_ of it, but Adrien told me how long we'd actually been down there in sewer. A month! A _flipping_ month that my friend tried to save me – save _Paris_ – before it wore him down enough that he couldn't do it any longer."

I whistled. "A month? I only remember-"

"Exactly, an hour? Maybe?" She looked away. "He was so brave, trying to follow through on my instructions." Ladybug turned back toward me. "He wanted so _badly_ not to let me down, and felt like he did. It was unfair of me to have asked him to step in like that; I wish I could have done it differently now."

Seeing the pain in her eyes, I hugged her a bit closer. "Adrien willingly accepted the burden, Milady," I said. "Just like the two of us did. If I recall, our first time out wasn't all that glamorous either." I laughed a bit. "Especially a certain black cat not listening fully to his kwami's instructions."

Ladybug tapped my paw. "Seems like such a long time ago."

"Totally," I laughed softly. "I'm so much better at puns now," I said. "If I'd been in Adrien's shoes, I'm sure I would have wanted to have proved myself worthy of the Miraculous; not coming through for you would likely have worried me that you'd think you'd made a mistake in choosing me."

Ladybug smiled a bit. "I'm sure he is," she said, possibly mistaking the tense. "I have a sense that he has a special place in his heart for Ladybug. I suspect that fed into his drive to try and be successful."

I tried for a tinge of jealousy. "Unrequited, I hope."

Ladybug looked back at me again, and I could see even clearer her compassion for my alter-ego. Whatever concerns I'd had about her thinking less of me after my terrible month trying to protect her as Aspik had been unfounded. "Oh," I said softly. "He's the other guy, isn't he?"

She sighed and nodded. "I probably should have told you some time ago; if this sickness has taught me anything, it's that some of the secrecy I thought was important to our protection might actually be making it harder for us to do our job."

I swallowed. Hearing her state out loud that she was in love with me, especially now that I knew she was Marinette, felt like it was creating a tightrope I would now be walking. I needed to craft a tiny opening. "Did I ever have a chance with you, Milady?"

Looking at me again, she said, clear-eyed, "Until very recently, I assumed your flirting was just that – flirting. Now, after these last few days… and given my own mixed up feelings about Adrien…" She signed again. "I don't know, Chat. Is it possible for two superheroes to have a relationship? Without knowing who is under the mask?"

"It was never just flirting, Bug," I said softly. "And I would love you with or without the mask."

"No, it wasn't, was it?" she replied. "I'm sorry I didn't see that sooner." Ladybug leaned into me. "You know the delicious irony? Much like our situation, I'm not sure Adrien sees how I feel about him."

_He does now,_ I thought. "And you can't reveal yourself to him?"

Ladybug looked to me. "No," she said. "I'm afraid he's in love with the _idea_ of Ladybug. When he sees who I am, for real, the illusion will evaporate and we'll both have broken hearts."

"That might not be the case," I said. "Give the guy some credit."

"Maybe," she said. "I just don't know any more." Ladybug looked up at me again. "I do know one thing, though, and that is just how much of a true partner – a true friend – you are to me, Chat. I might have forgotten that, briefly, but I won't again."

"I've always been here for you, Milady," I purred gently. "And I always will." _In or out of the mask._

"Well," she said as she disentangled herself from me and stood, "thanks. I should get home."

"Me, too," I said, then smiled slyly. "I have an early morning tomorrow."

Ladybug arched an eyebrow. "What part of 'rest' were you unclear on?"

"I'm going to hang with my one of my best friends tomorrow," I said. "And I purromised her a treat she won't forget."

"I almost wish I could be there," Ladybug laughed.

"You will be in spirit, then," I smiled. "I want to check on you again tomorrow. Same time?"

"Sure, Chat," Ladybug said. Unexpectedly, she swooped in and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek.

"What was that for?"

"A thank you," she said as she tossed her yo-yo into the night. "For being you."

Watching her form disappear into the moonless night, I smiled. "You are quite welcome."


	9. Bad Pastries, Better Love

**Nine: Bad Pastries, Better Love**

I awoke early on Saturday, feeling almost like my normal self.

Setting a massive plate of aged Camembert in front of a groggy Plagg, I showered and changed into fairly casual clothes for Adrien Agreste – really just a slight variation on my normal outfit, but essentially the t-shirt without the button-down over it and jeans that had a slight tear in them. Neither were acceptable in public from my Father's perspective, but then again, I was planning on being Chat most of the day. Problem solved.

Nathalie appeared as distracted as she'd been a day before, and to my horror, I heard her wrapping a phone call as I came down the steps for breakfast. Father had recently brought Lila Rossi in as a companion for me at my photo shoots, and apparently, she was scheduled for a meeting with him later that day. It rankled me to no end, for I was no fan of Lila or her machinations at school; I was nearly convinced she was somehow working for Hawkmoth, given how many times she had been akumatized.

That she would be in the mansion later, though, presented a bit of an issue, for it was entirely plausible she would want to spend a few minutes with me. Rounding the corner of the steps and heading for the dining room, I smiled at Nathalie. "Can I get a lift to the library this morning?"

"Whatever for?" she asked as she bowed me into the dining room. "Can't you do your research online?"

"I need access to some pretty old material for my paper on Napoléon," I shrugged. "Some of it is still on something called microfiche. It's not been digitized."

"How long will you need to be there?"

Taking some fruit from the buffet and some scrambled eggs, I answered as I sat. "All day, I think."

Something wafted across her face. Clearly they had other plans today, I inferred, and I tried not to smile. "Your Father needs to go out today for a meeting," she said.

"No worries," I smiled. At least that meant Lila wasn't coming to the mansion. Good to know. "I can take the Metro."

"Adrien, I'm not sure your Father would approve of that."

"I'll be fine," I said.

Clearly torn, Nathalie finally nodded. "I'll let him know."

"Thanks, Nathalie," I gushed, laying on the Model Smile a bit thick. Per usual, it had no effect on her as she turned to leave without saying another word.

I munched through my breakfast, sliding a few pieces of cheese to Plagg from the fruit platter. Pushing up from my chair, I exited the dining room a few minutes behind Nathalie but instead of heading for my room, I detoured to the kitchen and found a very surprised Chef working on the menu for lunch.

"Adrien?" he said, for I was not generally allowed in the kitchen. "Can I get you something?"

"Yes," I said, trying to also dazzle him with my Model Smile. "Do you still have those goodies from the photoshoot I did a few weeks ago?"

Grimacing, Chef stood from the table he was at and moved to a cupboard. "Unfortunately, yes," he groaned. "This stuff never spoils. Please tell me you aren't going to really eat any of this?"

"It's for a friend," I replied honestly as he handed me a brown grocery satchel.

"That's almost worse," he smiled.

I thanked him and returned to my bedroom, where Plagg floated out of his hiding spot, Camembert in hand. He sniffed at the bag, then his eyes widened. "I know someone who would really like what's in there," he said. "Where are you taking these?"

"Marinette's," I replied as I put my tablet into my satchel. I looked up at him. "Say, if I am wearing this when I transform, will it…?"

"Yes," he said. "But you would have to de-transform in order to use it."

"Huh," I said. "I _do_ need to finish my paper. I'll have to tote it with the goodies," I murmured, pulling it back out of my satchel and sliding it into the grocery satchel.

Plagg downed another slice of cheese and then I called for my transformation; once the green glow faded, I picked up the satchel and leapt toward my window only to freeze on the windowsill. My feline ears picked up footfalls coming up the stairwell and headed toward my room. There wasn't enough time to detransform; neither could I vault to my bathroom to hide, nor launch myself fast enough away from the mansion that whomever it was wouldn't see me depart. I instead flipped over the edge of the window and then pressed myself up under the ledge just below, grasping the satchel in one paw while using the other to brace myself against the stonework.

I heard the door open. "Adrien?" I heard Father call out.

Pressing my boots harder into the stone, I tried not to swear. Father hardly ever came to my room; the coincidence he would appear on the same day he was meeting with Lila was not lost on me. I was thankful I'd not tried to vault away for his height would have easily given him a sightline on my normal pathway from the bedroom.

"Adrien?" he called out again.

His footsteps seemed unnaturally loud as he methodically checked the bathroom, and then moved to the open window. I knew he would see it as an anomaly, and furrvently hoped he wouldn't close it.

New footsteps entered the room. "He _was_ going to the library this morning," Nathalie's voice reminded him. "He may have left already."

"Odd that he didn't say goodbye," Father remarked.

"Not really," Nathalie said.

"Is this window open all the time?"

"Yes. Adrien says he likes the fresh air."

There was a long pause, and then both sets of footsteps returned to my bedroom door. "I find that hard to believe. We've got a state-of-the-art air conditioning system. I'll have to discuss it with him when he gets back…"

I waited a few moments longer for them to move to the foyer before dropping out from beneath the ledge, snagging my baton in the same motion and then springing up into the air to finally make my escape. That was the closest I'd come to being discovered, and I'd prefer not to have it happen again.

The escapade in my room had delayed me enough that Marinette was already sporting a steaming mug of what my feline nose told me was pure sugar. "Hot chocolate?" I asked as I landed on her chimney once more.

"Yes," she smiled as she took another sip.

I vaulted down and then over to my now-standard perch atop the upended flowerpot, then gently put my grocery satchel on the tile. "Considering what you are drinking, I think you'll appreciate what I've brought for you. Please tell me you are hungry."

Marinette eyed my bag with concern. "Maybe…"

Smiling wider, I reached in and pulled out my tablet.

"I'm not eating that," she smiled.

"No, this is for me later. I have… homework that needs to be done."

Marinette arched an eyebrow. "I see."

I reached into the bag and retrieved a box of cereal and two smaller boxes. "I present to you the classic American Breakfast," I said triumphantly. "Coco Krispies, Twinkies and something called a 'Ding Dong.'"

Eyes widening in horror, Marinette looked at my haul and then back toward me. "For real?"

"Cross my feline heart," I said, laughing. "At least, according to the internet, and you know _that's_ reliable."

"I'm not eating _any_ of that," Marinette said flatly.

"Oh, come on," I mewled good naturedly. "Would you believe me if I told you I _purrsonally_ went to America to get these for you?" I asked, knowing I was treading on thin ice. For it was well known by our classmates that Adrien had been overseas a few weeks earlier; the goodie bag had been a parting gift from the company that had hired me for the photoshoot. I was partially hoping to plant a seed that might blossom a bit later. I'd dithered about leaving Ladybug unprotected for the few days I was in New York; fortunately, Hawkmoth appeared to have laid low while I was out of town with Father and Nathalie.

"Not in a million years," she laughed. "But I like the thought that you might have." Smiling, she suddenly had a thought and sobered. "Wait, you _didn't_ actually go to America, did you?"

I leaned over and got within a whisker of her face. "I'll… never… tell…" I whispered, smiling slyly as I leaned back to make space to dangle a foil-wrapped delicacy in front of her. "Puuuuuulease…" I implored.

This close, even her human sense of smell couldn't help but pick up the confectionary wonder that was a Ding Dong. I was well aware of Marinette's sweet tooth, and the moment she smelled the chocolate, her eyes widened, and she snatched it out of my paw. "Just this one time," she said as she started to unwrap the hockey-puck shaped item.

"Of course," I said, returning to my normal stance and slitting the top of the box of cereal with a claw. "I don't suppose you happened to have bowls handy?"

Absorbed in the prize that was being revealed as she peeled back the foil, Marinette murmured: "On the table…"

I turned and slid off the flowerpot, trotted over to the small table that held an orchid. Beside it, Marinette had thoughtfully provided two sets of bowls, mugs and silverware; a steaming teapot was off to one side, along with a thermal carafe that my feline sense of smell found had coffee. I spread out the bowls and decanted the brown-colored cereal into each, trying not to wrinkle my feline nose at the overwhelming smell of sugar. I wasn't sure I'd be able to get down more than a mouthful, but I'd try.

"Coffee or tea?" I asked over my shoulder, hearing the rustle of foil.

"Mmmph," was the reply, causing me to turn.

Marinette was leaning over the chaise and digging through the box of Ding Dongs, retrieving two more. She looked up, and smiled sheepishly; a smudge of chocolate was just above her lip. "I still have cocoa," she said as she set about unwrapping her second treat.

Trying hard not to smile, I took my coffee and the two bowls back, proffering her one. "Terrible, I take it," I said, arching a masked eyebrow as she took a bowl.

"Yesph," she said around a mouthful. "My God, we make a filling like this… I like ours better, of course, but wow! I can't believe this is what they eat for breakfast."

"I agree," I said, scooping out some of the cereal and trying not to grimace. My sense of taste was augmented as Chat, allowing me to (unfortunately) break down the entire mouthful of processed food I'd just taken into its various constituent parts. This meal was more about Marinette than me, so I soldiered on.

In the end, Marinette wound up eating half of the box of Ding Dongs, two Twinkies and no more than a spoonful of cereal. The cereal had been a bridge too far, and I'd agreed with her emphatically on that score. The way she was smiling and how she was interacting with me confirmed that she was feeling a thousand percent better, which made me very happy. "Just so you know, I won't do this again," I said as I cleared away the refuse and refilled my coffee. "Especially since I'm not sure when I'll come upon Ding Dongs again."

"Probably just as well," Marinette said, her eyes making a point of dropping the box.

"Yes, I'll leave them," I laughed.

It was such a small thing, but yet another item on the long list of reasons why I loved her. And I knew for sure now that I did love _her_, with or without the mask.

We spent the rest of the day together, seamlessly moving from one activity to the next. After munching, she invited me to play on the Xbox, where she proceeded to beat me, badly, multiple times, much as she'd taken me out when I'd played her as Adrien. Again, planting another seed, I carefully wove in a few moves I knew only Adrien had done, eliciting a minor eyebrow raise from time to time. Later, we huddled around her computer screen to watch a classic film I recommended – _Casablanca_ – one that managed to get teary-eyed by the time the credits rolled.

Sabine invited me to stay for lunch, and then the four of us played several rounds of Hearts, something I'd not done since my mother had disappeared. It was hard not to snag the cards with my claws, but it didn't seem to matter – by the end of the afternoon, we were laughing like we'd been family from the beginning. I couldn't help but feel the love in the room – not just mine for Marinette – and it underscored just how austere my existence at the mansion was. I shuddered suddenly, thinking of my near-miss with Father that very morning. As much as I felt he cared for me, I knew an afternoon such as this would never happen with him. Ever.

As the shadows grew long across the rooftop patio, I found myself standing across from Marinette, holding her hands in my paws. "I had a lovely day," I said. "I'm so glad you're feeling better."

"Are you sure you won't stay for dinner?"

"I'd love to, Princess," I said with sadness, "but I will be missed if I'm not at my own dinner this evening."

"I understand," she said. "Come back tomorrow?"

My heart leapt. "I don't want to overstay my welcome," I said cautiously. "Or have you think I'm using this illness we shared as a way to muscle out your main squeeze."

She considered me for a moment. "Why would you say that?"

I flushed slightly. "I just assumed you had a… uh… boyfriend…" I said, seeding in one more trigger by scratching the back of my neck with a paw.

"Even if I did," she said slowly, "I consider you a friend, Chat. I enjoy spending time with you."

"Okay," I said. "If you're sure…"

I didn't get a chance to finish, for she suddenly moved a hand to scratch just behind one of my feline ears. My eyes flew open and then closed at the amazing sensation her touch brought, and to my horror, not only did I lean into her ministrations, I started to actually purr.

Really, _seriously_, purr.

"Come back?" she said.

Having had no idea I had a feline trigger like that, I continued to purr as I answered. "You make a compelling case, Princess," I said, eyes still closed in pure bliss. "How can I say no?"

"Good kitty," she teased as she stopped scratching, then bopped me on my nose. "See you tomorrow."

My eyes cracked open with an accusatory glare. "How did you know…?"

She shrugged. "You're a cat, aren't you?"

Leaping up to the railing, I smiled ruefully. "More than I realized, apparently. Good evening, Princess."

"Evening, Chat. Until tomorrow."

_No, _I thought. _See you in a few hours, Milady._

Instead, I smiled as I tumbled off her railing in double-barrel roll. "Tomorrow, tomorrow / we'll start the day tomorrow with a song / for you…"

Marinette ran to the railing and called after me. "Are you singing something from _Mister Roger's Neighborhood_?"

"Maybe…" I laughed as I helicoptered into happiness.


	10. Close Call

**Ten: Close Call**

I fell into my bed after returning from Marinette's, flying high emotionally.

My tail was twisting with excitement, for I was reasonably sure I wasn't misreading the signs. Something had changed for Marinette; she was seeing Chat – seeing _me_ – differently, and it was a pleasant shock to the system. Then I realized I still had a tail, and my feline ears were resting against my pillow; for a moment, I didn't care if someone came bursting through my bedroom door and found Chat Noir in Adrien's bed.

I was in love – and I was pretty sure Marinette was halfway there herself. It put everything else to the side temporarily, though at length the image of me trying to explain _why_ I was in Adrien's bed got me laughing hard enough that I decided it would be prudent to drop my transformation.

"Plagg – claws in."

One moment and a green transformation wave later, Plagg appeared by my side. "That was quite a day," he smiled. "I'm proud of you, kid. You're going about this the right way."

I smiled, probably dreamily. "Plagg, I love her."

He rolled his eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."

"But she's Ladybug, too. It's so incredible."

Plagg smirked. We'd already had a version of this conversation on the night I'd discovered her identity.

"I've got to go down for dinner and then we get to see her again afterward."

My kwami rolled his tiny green eyes at me. "You're over there enough, you might want to keep a toothbrush in her bathroom."

I stared at him, a partial Chat-smirk on my face. "I didn't think cats needed to brush their teeth…?" I asked playfully as I slipped off the bed and started for the door.

"I don't know what you've heard," he said, narrowing his eyes as he responded, "but cats take hygiene very seriously. It's one of—"

Plagg's eyes shot open, and he zipped into my shirt; I knew him well enough to realize he'd heard something on the other side of the door. While I retained some of the superior feline hearing when not transformed, it wasn't as fine-tuned, so I'd missed the footfalls approaching.

Without ceremony, my door opened in and I was staring at Father. "Adrien."

I looked up at him. "Father," I said. "I was just on my way down for dinner."

"I won't be but a minute," he said as he moved into my room and essentially forced me to follow him toward the open window. I tried not to groan – after hearing his earlier comments to Nathalie, I'd intended to close the window.

"How was the library?" Father asked as he stared out the window, hands clasped behind his waist.

"Productive," I said, trying to skirt the truth as best as I could.

"May I read your paper?" he asked, thought it came out with the force of a command.

Unconsciously, I felt myself stiffen. Shortly after I'd insisted on attending public school, Father had initially required Nathalie to review every homework assignment to ensure it was up to the standards he'd held me to when I was being home schooled; rarely, he would himself step in and perform a secondary review. As time passed, though, he'd either become comfortable enough with the rigor of my schoolwork or busy enough with House of Gabriel business that the spot checks had stopped.

Until this morning.

Feeling very much like the fourteen-year-old he was treating me as, I shuffled to my backpack to retrieve my tablet. After a few moments of digging around, though, I could feel my cheeks start to flame as I realized it was not there – that it was, in fact, still sitting on Marinette's rooftop patio, right where I'd set it down in order to unpack my grocery satchel.

It took quite a bit of Chat not to swear on the spot.

Furiously, I tried to come up with an explanation, knowing that I was on thin ice. I turned toward Father, holding my backpack in one paw, and leaned into Chat's cunning as much as I thought I could pull off. "I seem to have left my tablet behind," I said, careful to leave out where it was. "The library is closed now, so I'll need to head back in the morning."

Father didn't turn around. "That was fairly careless of you, Adrien. Perhaps you'd better turn on the 'find your tablet' system to ensure it's still at the library."

"I'm not sure that's necessary," I said softly.

Turning away from the open window, he marched me over to my desktop computer, and pulled out my chair. "Now, please," he said.

I was sure my heart was pounding loud enough that Father could hear it. Deliberately, I sat in my chair and punched up the geolocation software; a few moments later, the icon for my tablet appeared right where it shouldn't. I didn't need to turn around to feel Father's disdain.

"You were not at the library, were you." It was a statement, not a question.

The Chat part of me (which was suspicious of anything) wondered how Father knew I'd be missing my tablet; I tried hard not to consider the fact that it might have nanny software on it and that he'd already known where it was – and, therefore, where I had been all day.

Except, of course, I hadn't been there. As Adrien.

"No," I said. "I wasn't."

"I'll have your bodyguard drive you to the Bakery," Father said. "You are not to leave the mansion unescorted from this point forward."

"Father!" I said, turning at last. "Marinette is one of my best friends. Whatever you think—"

"We are not having this conversation," he said as he turned for the door. "Retrieve your tablet and then return here directly." He paused, hand on my door. "You may have dinner later."

I stared at the door as it closed behind the elegant form of my Father, and then slumped into my chair. My unexpected appearance at the Bakery as Adrien to pick up a tablet Chat had left behind was going to create a problem I wasn't ready to face. I slumped further when it occurred to me that Marinette may well have _found_ the tablet already, too; fortunately, I'd taken some precautions and removed my custom Ladybug wallpaper, since there was a possibility she may have seen it at school. And it had a security code on it, so it was highly unlikely she'd have unlocked it.

Gorilla had me on the way to the Bakery a short while later, and I stared out the car window wondering how I would ever explain my way out of this with Marinette. I was pulled out of my thoughts when the sedan slowed and then came to a sudden halt; looking up, I could see we were stuck in some sort of traffic jam a few blocks from the Bakery. It seemed like a very ordinary Parisian traffic issue, though it was the weekend; the sedan that suddenly sailed through the air and knocked ours sideways was a very good indicator that it was far more complicated than that.

The sedan wound up on its side and spun several times, like a terribly out of control carnival ride. When it came to rest, I was hanging from my seatbelt; I struggled for a moment to release it only to fall with a crunch against the door on the opposite side. Crawling to the driver's seat, I could see that the airbag had deployed and apparently knocked Gorilla unconscious. Checking him over quickly, I saw no injuries and instead scrabbled over the seat to the door. It was such an odd angle, though, I couldn't get enough leverage to push the door open or smash the window.

At least, not as Adrien.

Checking again that Gorilla was still out like a lightbulb, I quietly called out: "Plagg – claws out!"

The transformation light filled the tiny space for a fraction of a second, and then I was clawing my way back up to the jammed door, wondering idly if I could explain away the slashed leather later as part of the accident. Braced at the top of the car, I slid my baton out and extended it slightly to smash the glass of the window; the safety glass shattered and rained down, and I paused a moment before pulling myself out carefully, scanning to see if anyone happened to be looking in my direction.

Fortunately, the sedan had come to rest several blocks further away from where the action appeared to be taking place and was behind several other cars piled high. It was dusky as the sun was starting to set, and the smoke from the pile-ups was fairly thick. Comfortable I was not attracting attention, I leapt out of the car and made my way to the first set of vehicles, ensuring they were empty, before checking the next set closer to the fray. I pulled several civilians out of harm's way; fortunately, none had anything more serious than a few bumps and bruises. Gorilla seemed to be the only one worse off.

Rounding the final corner, I landed in a pounce-crouch at the edge of the wide circle that fronted the Bakery. My ears flicked and zeroed in on the tell-tale _ziiing_ of a certain yo-yo, and I didn't have to turn around to know the gentle landing behind me was my partner. "What do we have?" I heard her ask.

"I'm not sure," I said as I continued to scan the darkening space. "My feline vision is good, but not good enough to pierce all of this smoke."

"Huh," she muttered. "I didn't see anything on the way in," she confirmed. "But given how these vehicles have been tossed around…"

"Yeah," I agreed. "Something big. Or something small and _very_ strong." My masked eyes flicked up to the Bakery's balcony; while I admit to some personal reasons for needing to get up there, it also commanded the best view of the area. "I think I need to pay a visit to my friend," I said, turning to look back at Ladybug. "Wait here – I should be able to see the space from up there."

I started to leap away only to have a firm hand on my shoulder. "We go together," she said softly.

"As you wish," I replied.

Extending my baton, I leapt up and rose toward the Bakery; Ladybug came around from the side on her yo-yo, and we managed to land side-by-side on the tile nearly simultaneously. Popping up from my crouch, I moved to the railing; I was mostly right, for the smoke was thinner now and from this height I could see more of what we were facing.

Given the akumas from the past few days, I wasn't entirely surprised to see what appeared to be another toy-based figure. While some parts were obscured by the smoke still filling the space, a vaguely vehicular form evocative of a Transformer appeared to be moving through the plaza below; what vehicles it didn't immediately toss away it appeared to pick apart, pressing liberated pieces to its body and growing in the process. It was nearly as tall as the Bakery; each new part added seemed to raise it a half meter or more at a time.

I turned toward Ladybug – and spied my tablet still sitting on the upturned planter. She saw my startled expression and followed my gaze, then turned back to me with a question on her face. Despite knowing who she _really_ was, I found myself flushing. "I wondered where that had gotten to," I said sheepishly.

"You… left it here?" she asked.

I had to give her credit: she was playing it pretty straight. "Yeah…" I said, trailing off.

"You were _here_?" she prompted. "As _Chat_?"

"This might not be the best time to discuss this fully," I demurred. "Suffice it to say I need to retrieve that tablet when this is all over."

She smiled slightly at that. "I'll bet you do."

My face felt like it was radiating now. "_Any_way," I said, "thoughts on how to take out our new friend down there?"

Still smirking (really?), she turned away from me and looked to the plaza below. "Maybe," she said. "But I'll need some time." Ladybug turned back to me. "Do your thing, kitty."

I saluted with two fingers and hopped over Marinette's railing, swan diving to the ground before using the baton to pogo-stick upward again. I bounced over a stack of spare parts and then planted the baton, rising up so I was at what appeared to be eye level for our akuma. It was hard to tell, frankly. Still, I figured my usual song and dance routine might get some notice.

Hanging to the baton with one arm, I waved the other. "Hey," I said simply. "I'm into matchboxes too!"

There was some sort of delivery van perched at the top of the mechanical heap, and it turned toward me; near as I could tell, the headlights seemed to be reflecting some sentience. My fur stood up slightly on the back of my neck, but I persisted. "Anyway, this might not be the best place to collect them. There's a little toy store around the corner that has a much better collection."

The behemoth took a step toward me, causing the ground to shake and sending swirling tendrils of smoke in all directions. Even my baton resonated. I swallowed hard as it took another step toward me. "On the other hand, the Bakery behind me makes the most amazing passionfruit macaroons. Not that a car – are you a car, actually? Or some sort of multipurpose van?"

I managed to swing around the baton in time to narrowly avoid what appeared to be a VW Beetle at the end of some sort of flatbed – as close to an arm-like structure as this thing got. The wind from it passing me whipped my hair a bit, and I decided it was a tad too close for comfort. Flipping upward, I pulled my baton with me and shortened it to helicopter mode, then suddenly changed my mind and redirected myself _toward_ the critter, landing astride the aforementioned arm.

Quickly, I scampered up the "arm" and across a connecting minivan that acted like a "shoulder" and hid behind the body of a dump truck that was more-or-less acting as a spine/neck. To be honest, it was tough to make a body metaphor out what I was seeing. What was worse? Nothing appeared to be a likely candidate for housing an akuma. Or an amuck, for that matter – if we were unlucky enough to be facing a sentimonster.

Using my claws, I dug in and moved further upward toward the delivery van atop the whole mess. It was the most logical place to start looking, and as Ladybug had yet to appear with her Lucky Charm, I figured I could at least try to be useful. I knew I was on to something when the VW made another pass at me, and then a Peugeot swatted at me from the other side. Redoubling my efforts, I pulled even with the driver's door of the van and slid it forcefully backward.

My masked eyes widened when I saw an almost normal-looking delivery driver strapped in behind the wheel, albeit one wearing the crazed expression of an akuma victim and a requisite over-the-top villain outfit. He turned toward me, simultaneously cranking the wheel; the whole enterprise dipped down, and I was thrown out of the cab. Those wonderful claws of mine snagged the edge of the frame, though, allowing me to arrest my fall and imminent demise. Pausing for a moment, I pulled myself back in and slid across the driver to land in the passenger seat beside him.

"Say, friend," I started. "Maybe we could – oomph!"

In an instant, a mass of seatbelts appeared from nowhere and pinned me to the seat; I tried to shred them with my claws only to have a second set cinch tightly about my torso. My arms were caught below the swath of straps, and I was reduced to wiggling my claw tips menacingly.

"You were saying?" the deranged driver asked as he turned back toward the mayhem he was creating.

"Stupid tablet," I muttered.


	11. Baby Steps

**Eleven: Baby Steps**

I continued to wriggle my claw tips while keeping my attention trained on the driver. Based on how the belts had snared me, my Cataclysm seemed like a bad option – even if I didn't already want to keep it in reserve whatever Ladybug had planned for the akuma. Trying to keep my temper under control (I hadn't been trapped like this in a while), I plastered the megawatt Chat smile on my face while straining to snap the straps binding me.

I'd tried a few more times to engage him in conversation, but Driver seemed more interested in collecting additional parts for whatever gizmo we were now riding in together. Other than going to some new-fangled version of a demolition derby, the whole construct was a bit lost on me, especially because he continued to circle the same four or five block radii. There were fewer and fewer vehicles to choose from on each lap, making me wonder if ultimately we'd take off toward another part of Paris.

My anger notched up when I realized I should have inserted my earwig before dashing away from Ladybug. The view from the cab was limited, so I wasn't sure where my partner had gotten to. I fed the anger into my biceps and strained mightily against the seat, while simultaneously managing to _finally_ snag a claw beneath one edge. Slowly, I felt it shear strand after strand in the belt as I tried to draw my hand backward; it wasn't easy given the angle.

The entire vehicle lurched sideways again, and I shifted my attention out the windshield. We appeared to finally be changing our direction as what I could see of the Bakery was passing to our left. Slowly we moved out of the circle and down one of the main avenues leading away; a moment later, I could see my sedan and very angry bodyguard trying to squeeze out of the window I'd smashed. I groaned, realizing I was now going to have to account for Adrien's absence on top of everything else.

"Stupid tablet," I muttered again.

"Pardon?" came the unexpected response from Driver.

Now that I had his attention, I decided to run with it. "It was my own fault," I say airily, looking up to the ceiling of the cab while shredding a few more centimeters of seat belt. "I get so distracted by her beauty that I forget everything. Sometimes," I added, smiling, "I even forget who I am."

"You've got it bad," Driver said, still focused on the road.

"I do." I sighed. "I left my tablet at her place; unluckily for you, I was on my way to retrieve it when you appeared." I looked back at him. "I could be with the girl of my dreams right now. This is seriously impacting my social time."

_That_ made him turn toward me, wearing one of those villain self-satisfied smirks. "Sorry."

"Don't worry," I purred dangerously. "I'll take it out on you in a bit."

Driver cackled. "Not likely."

"Clearly you've never fought us," I replied as I felt the band that had trapped my hands finally give way.

"Not worried," he said as he threw the machine we were in around another corner.

"You should be," I laughed. "I'm just the distraction appetizer."

"What?" he said turning.

"And the main course is about to be served," I added, narrowing my masked eyes to match the smile on my face.

Driver looked at me and started to say something a fraction of a moment before our movement was abruptly halted; he was thrown backwards into his seat, hard, and sat there with a dazed expression. I used the momentary distraction it provided for one more massive flex and snapped the belts cleanly where I'd managed to score them with my free claw. Coiling up quickly, I vaulted across the cab and snared Driver in my arms; curling slightly, I allowed my momentum to carry us through the open driver's side door and we tumbled out into space together, end over end.

As I righted myself and reached a spare paw for the baton, I saw how Ladybug had ensnared whatever it was Driver had built in a web made from a massive quantity of red-and-black polka-dotted yarn; smiling at how intricate it was (and now knowing _why_ she was so good at patterns), I tightened my grip against Driver and extended the baton so we could slowly drop to the sidewalk. Just as my boots hit the concrete, Driver reared up and nailed me in the chin with the crown of his head. The maneuver caught me off guard and I stumbled slightly, releasing both him and my baton, which clattered away from me.

Seeing stars in my vision, I rolled into a crouch facing Driver; he was still smirking and now had my baton in his hand. I could feel something oozing on my chin and hoped it wouldn't require stitches – yet one more thing to have to try and explain to father. My feline ears picked up the sound of the yo-yo being retracted and I smiled dangerously, knowing we were exactly where Ladybug wanted us. "Lucky shot," I said, running a paw along my chin and coming away with blood.

"Maybe," he smirked as he brandished the baton. Fortunately he'd not figured out how to extend it.

Carefully, I started to circle him, keeping low to the ground. "Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked.

"Yes," he said, moving away in the opposite direction. "If I get your ring-"

"Yadda yadda," I said, waving a paw at him. "Don't believe everything Hawkmoth tells you."

That seemed to infuriate him and he came at me suddenly; I leapt to the side and flipped back to face him, watching as he rebounded against a brick wall and turned toward me again.

"Game for a rematch?" I snarked.

Screaming wildly, Driver came at me again and this time I vaulted over him, twisting in mid-air to land facing him again. "I could do this all day," I smiled.

As he turned for another run at me, I finally saw the lapel pin flash as it picked up the streetlights. I adjusted my strategy a bit, pressing myself to the ground and rolling sideways when he came at me; it was a bad idea, for he immediately turned and somehow managed to perform a piledriver move into my back, leading with the edge of the baton.

Stunned for a moment, I growled and threw him off me, sending him sailing into a set of trashcans that exploded into a thousand pieces of debris. I didn't wait for him to recover. "Cataclysm!" I cried as I leapt toward him.

Driver was struggling to push himself out of the dumpster when I nailed the pin with a claw tip; it burst to ash, and the purple akuma fluttered up and away. Landing on the edge of the wall above the dumpster in my cat stance, I swiveled in time to see Ladybug drop into the alley and send her yo-yo after the akuma.

I flipped off the wall and helped a middle-aged man in a normal delivery uniform out of the dumpster and onto solid ground. "Where am I?" he asked, dazed as all akuma victims were.

"Not on your regular route, that's for sure," I smiled. Looking back to Ladybug, I saw what was left of the magical skein she'd used and two massive knitting needles. "Looks like you knew _exactly_ what to do with that Charm, Milady," I laughed. "You can knit me a sweater any time you want."

"I'll keep that in mind," she smiled as she tossed the needles into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" she cried, releasing her magical helpers to restore the city we loved.

Cognizant that I both needed to retrieve my tablet and get back to the sedan, I smiled at Ladybug. "If you can take it from here," I said, indicating my chirping ring, "I still need to make a stop to retrieve that pesky tablet of mine."

"Of course," she laughed, and then sobered. "Does this mean we're not meeting up later?" she asked.

"Oh no, Milady," I smirked as I retrieved my baton and rose into the air. "I never miss a _date_."

"It's not a date!" she cried after my rising form.

"Says you," I called back as I helicoptered to a rooftop and then vaulted another to reach the Bakery patio.

The tablet was still on the planter and I quickly grabbed it before hurling myself back over the railing and vaulting in the general direction of the sedan. I landed in an alley close to where the sedan was and dropped my transformation, quickly fed Plagg and then carefully made my way toward where Gorilla had parked on the curb.

Fortunately, he appeared to be out scouting for me, so I quickly slipped into the back seat and stowed the tablet in my satchel; I was just re-emerging to find him when Gorilla rounded a shop and locked his eyes on mine. I waved as he approached. "That was intense, wasn't it?" I said as we both got into the sedan once more. "I'm glad you're okay," I added without further explanation, and for once was rewarded with a rather soft look in the rearview mirror.

We pulled up in front of the Bakery, and I slid out with my bag; Gorilla joined me at the curb and indicated as only he could that he would be waiting for me. I nodded and, owing to the now late hour, went around to the residence entrance to knock. Marinette's face appeared when the door opened, and I smiled to think that not only had she managed to return to the Bakery, she appeared to have caught the sedan on final approach. "Hey," I said, face turning slightly red. "Sorry to call on you so late."

"Adrien?" she said, opening the door wider. "This is unexpected. Is something wrong?"

"No – well, yes," I said, suddenly smiling. "I may have led my Father to believe I needed to… give you my notes for the classes you missed while you were out sick." I patted my satchel. "He didn't know that I really wanted to get out of the mansion and, if I was really lucky, manage to snag some of those macaroons of yours."

Marinette smiled widely. "You… _lied_? To your Father?"

"I'm learning fast and starting small," I quipped. "Baby steps. But I'm on a short leash."

She laughed – a warm, infectious sound that reminded me how much I loved her. It also occurred to me that since the time we'd spent in the sewer, she'd not frozen in front of Adrien. I wondered again if I was overthinking my concern about her accepting me as Chat Noir. Still, it felt prudent to continue to be cautious.

To a point.

"Let me see if I can rustle up something for you," she said. "Want to come in?"

_Do I ever,_ I thought. "No, I'd better stay here," I said, glancing at Gorilla over my shoulder.

"All right," she laughed.

A few moments later, she returned with a small box wrapped in a cute pink bow that screamed Marinette; I turned to protect it from Gorilla's view, but visibly moved my satchel around to place something in it. "Thank you," I said with a smile, and then, channeling Chat, I leaned up and kissed her on the cheek. "This means more than you know," I whispered in her ear as I pulled back.

Marinette looked at me, a faint blush on her face. "You're… welcome…" she said, somewhat dreamily.

I smiled again and turned back toward my minder; before getting into the sedan, I unbuckled the satchel and showed him the tablet. "Mission accomplished," I said in a desultory fashion before sliding into the back seat.

Gorilla said nothing and instead pulled away from the curb. I watched the city go by but didn't really see it; instead, I was considering how best to escape from the mansion later that evening to meet up with Ladybug. I couldn't be sure, but my feline version of Spidey Sense was warning me I'd be monitored pretty closely for a bit. That was confirmed when I opened the door to my bedroom and found Nathalie waiting for me by my desk.

"Your father would like me to review the paper you wrote today," she said tonelessly.

"Of course, Nathalie," I said as I sat in my chair and pulled out my tablet. I tried to ignore the time that appeared when I unlocked the tablet; while I'd not set a specific time to meet up with Ladybug, I usually met her close to 1900, and it was already well past 1800. "Did you want to do this now? Or can I have dinner first?"

Something passed across her face, enough that I realized she didn't know Father had sent me to the Bakery without eating. For a moment, a soft expression appeared in her eyes. "This will be fast," she assured me, a shadow of a smile on her face. "Punch it up for me."

I brought up the paper, which I had actually written the bulk of before my visit to Marinette; I'd finished the last section while lunch was being prepared at the Bakery but hadn't done a final grammar check. It didn't seem to matter to Nathalie, though, for after looking at the document metadata to confirm I'd worked on it that day, she flipped through the thirty pages without actually reading them. As she handed it back to me, she said a little more softly, "Be more careful next time, Adrien. And be up front; I have no issue explaining to your father that Marinette is someone you rely on for school projects."

Slightly stunned, I flushed a bit. "Thank you," I said.

"Dinner is waiting for you," she said as she turned to go. "Unfortunately, you are still grounded for few days."

"Yes, Nathalie," I said as she closed the door behind her.

Plagg floated up from his hiding place and smirked at me.

I smiled back at my kwami. "Yes, I know," I nodded. "That doesn't apply to Chat Noir."

"You're learning," he laughed appreciatively. "Now, let's get some cheese."


	12. More Pastries, More Love

**Twelve: More Pastries, More Love**

Soaring over the rooftops less than an hour later, I found myself once more floating on cloud nine. While it had been an exceedingly long Saturday, the chance to spend even a short period of time with Ladybug had chased away what fatigue I'd been feeling. The night was cool against my exposed skin, and I was fighting a slight headwind that buffeted my wild mane and was snapping my tail out behind me. That last part was a bit problematic, for I'd learned to use my tail to help navigate while flying through the air. So far, I'd not smashed into any windows, but the night was still young.

Somewhat boldly, I'd decided to bring along the macaroons I'd picked up earlier from the Bakery. As I'd munched on the kale salad I'd been presented with at dinner (got to keep to my ideal model weight!), I'd been ruminating on the next steps guiding Ladybug toward my identity. While I wasn't keen on doing anything blatantly obvious, it occurred to me that presenting her with the tasty delights might appear to be an inadvertent slip – she would incorrectly assume I'd have not known I'd picked them up from her alter-ego earlier that evening.

Tonight, I landed atop my favorite rooftop that faced Notre Dame, and carefully set down my pastry box. Keeping to the date theme I'd alluded to with Ladybug earlier, I slid a loose tile aside to retrieve my candles and pillows and went about staging the space. By the time I heard Ladybug's yo-yo approaching, I had the final candle cradled in my paws and was gently placing it atop the wrought iron railing. I'd not had time to purchase either rose petals or a bouquet of the long-stemmed beauties and sighed. Akumas had a habit of interrupting my plans, and today, they'd gotten an assist from Father.

Turning, I watched my partner gracefully land and rewind her yo-yo, smiling as she placed it at her waist. "I guess you weren't kidding," she smiled.

"No," I smiled back, "but I also am cognizant of your feelings, too," I added. "I figured after today we could both use something special tonight."

Ladybug ran a hand to my bicep. "That was thoughtful," she said.

I indicated the pillows with a paw and we both sat, facing each other with Notre Dame off to our side. There was no moon that evening, so the flickering candles provided a diffused romantic glow that highlighted just how beautiful my partner was. I must have been smiling at the thought, for Ladybug tapped me on the nose. "What are you thinking?"

"How impawssibly lucky I am to have you in my life," I said.

She laughed. "Do you dream in puns, too?" she asked.

"Yes," I said solemnly. "I take my role as punster-in-Chat seriously."

"As with everything else," she laughed louder.

I kept my Chat grin going as I turned and retrieved the pastry box, sliding it into the space between us. "I picked these up earlier for tonight," I said carefully. "I hope you like them. They're from the best bakery in Paris."

Ladybug's eyes popped open. "You… picked these up?" She looked to the box, and the very recognizable pink bow she'd tied to it earlier, then back to my masked eyes. "Yourself?"

"Well, yes," I smiled, then quickly added. "Not as Chat, of course," I smiled wider. "I don't carry any money when I'm transformed," I explained, shrugging with my paws, then watched her carefully.

Ladybug looked at me again, then the box once more.

I used a claw to carefully slit the edge of the ribbon and then slid it off so I could open my treasure. As I'd already smelled with my feline nose, the entire box was passionfruit macaroons, likely made expressly for Adrien by Marinette. Snagging one with a claw tip, I slid the box toward her before taking a healthy bite and closing my masked eyes in bliss as the flavors washed over my enhanced sense of taste.

"Wow," I said as I munched, eyes still closed. "I had no idea these would taste _better_ while transformed." Hearing nothing, I cracked open a masked eye and saw Ladybug staring at the box. "Milady?" I prompted, both masked eyes opening.

"You… like passionfruit?"

"It's my favorite flavor," I said as I polished off my first and swooped in for a second.

"I've got to go," she said abruptly as she pushed up from her seat.

That was _not_ what I expected, and I paused with a mouthful of macaroon. "Milady?" I said after swallowing, the concern real in my masked eyes. "What's wrong?"

I popped up into a stand as well and reached a paw for her arm. "Was it something I said?" I asked slightly pointedly, partially knowing why she was acting the way she was.

"Yes – no!" she said, shaking her head like she was trying to get something off of it. "Goodnight, Chat," she said as she flung her yo-yo into the air and zipped after it.

"Ladybug! Wait!" I cried out after her. Bolting the last of my macaroon, I grabbed my baton and sailed out into the night after her. "Ladybug! _Ladybug!_"

"Not now, Chat," she said, and she redoubled her efforts to get away from me.

"Hang on a moment!" I yelled as I pulled up beside her, working hard to keep even along the rooftops. "Ladybug! _Talk to me!_"

"Chat, I need some space," she said, and made good by pulling away from me.

For a moment, I started to follow her and then slowed down; I leapt across one alleyway and then trotted to a stop at the edge of a rooftop, watching the lithe figure of my partner work her way into the night. I knew, intrinsically _knew_, the macaroons had been too much, too fast; hanging my head, I turned and slowly retraced my steps, wondering if, in my excitement, I'd damaged my prospects permanently.

I was so new to love, and loving someone, I wasn't even certain if I was going about this correctly in the first place. I was learning, to be sure; the last thing I wanted was to push away Ladybug. Or Marinette, for that matter. Worried to my core, I leapt into the sky and worked my way back to my original rooftop. Very slowly, I proceeded to blow out the candles and then return them and the pillows to my hiding spot. It didn't take long, of course, and I found myself sitting, cross-legged, looking at the box of macaroons.

Snagging one with a claw, I half-heartedly took a bite and munched. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I should have tried another tact before springing the cookies on her; looking at it from her perspective, I'd not salted in enough clues for her to simply have that _ah-hah_ moment. It had, instead, been a waterfall – no; perhaps more like I'd turned a firehose of recognition on her, with no warning.

I swore, deeply and genuinely. This was bad.

Just off to my side was the Bakery, and I could see the lights were on over the rooftop patio. Part of me – a significant part – wanted to go to Marinette and see if she'd calmed down at all; what passed for the logical part of my feline brain counseled against it, and surprising myself, I bowed to it. Unless she changed her mind, I already had an invitation to visit her again tomorrow – as Chat.

Packing up what was left of the macaroons, I moved to the railing and leapt up, box under one arm. I looked again and thought I saw movement on the patio; squinting, my feline vision saw Marinette leaning on the railing, looking directly at my rooftop. And, maybe she was waving at me?

I blinked. She was _definitely_ waving at me.

Wondering if I was playing with fire, I leapt out and landed on the next rooftop, and ran along the spine to leap across to the next; a few moments later, I dropped onto my now-usual chimney. "Princess," I said warmly. "I saw you waving…"

"Yeah," she said, looking at me. Her eyes went to the box under my arm. "I thought I saw you over there. That's one of your favorite perches."

I cocked my head questioningly. "It is," I nodded. "I didn't realize you could spot me over there."

"You're not easy to see at night," she laughed. "But every now and then, I can catch your eyes. They glow slightly."

"A trick of the lighting," I laughed.

"What brings you out tonight?" she asked.

It wasn't hard to have my feelings appear on my face. "I had a meet-up with Ladybug," I said as I dropped down to the railing beside her and perched. "It was my follow-up to ensure she'd gotten through the worst of the virus."

I looked at the box in my paw. "I surprised her with these tonight, and she reacted… badly."

Marinette arched an eyebrow at me. "I recognize the box," she said slowly.

My face flushed a bit, and for a long, long moment, I wondered if I should continue down this path. The rational part of me pointed out that I _could_ have left the box on the rooftop, or I _could_ have ignored Marinette and visited on the morrow. Being there, in that moment, seemed to indicate I was quite willing to continue this dance.

I just wasn't sure Marinette was. And yet, her observation had opened up a door, almost as an invitation for me to continue.

Heart beating loudly in my ears, and wondering if I was tossing away _everything_, I slowly nodded. "You should," I said very, very quietly. "But I am reluctant to tell you _why_."

Marinette looked at me. "I'm not certain I am ready for this," she said after I'd thought my heart had quit. Slowly, she put a hand to my bicep. "Are you sure you are?"

Without the slightest hesitation, I nodded. "I am."

_That_ brought a smile to her face. "Why am I not surprised," she said softly. Marinette nodded again, coming to some sort of a decision. "Tell me _why_ I should recognize the box."

I took a deep breath. "You've seen it twice, actually. Once when you gave it to me, earlier tonight." I waited a beat. "And then later, on that rooftop—" I inclined my head toward my favorite perch, before continuing, "—where I opened it. For you."

She nodded again. "The lie to your father," she said. "You were actually after the tablet."

I hazarded a slight smile. "The _stupid_ tablet," I corrected. "I'd forgotten about in with all of the fun we enjoyed this afternoon; Father surprised me by wanting to read my paper, and I was caught. I told him I'd spent the day here, and not at the library, which was true – to a point."

"As Chat," she pointed out.

"Yeah." I looked up at the dark sky. "So when he insisted I come back to retrieve the tablet, I knew having Adrien appear asking after Chat's tablet would be… bad." I looked back at her, searching her eyes. "It's the first time I can think of an akuma was actually helpful."

"So even then, you were protecting both of our identities," she said.

"Yes," I nodded. "You weren't ready." I sighed. "I'm still concerned that you're not ready. It's a lot to take in," I added, "and believe me, I totally understand."

Slowly, exquisitely slowly, Marinette considered me, her eyes travelling from the box back to my face to settle on my masked eyes. A hand snaked up and ran a finger along the edge of my mask. "You did leave me a trail of clues, kitty; to your credit, I _had_ started to see the pattern, not realizing you were being intentional. I started to suspect who you were, but wasn't totally sure; the macaroons put you over the top."

"I thought they might," I replied. "It was a calculated risk. I was a bit worried I'd pushed a bit too fast."

"With reason," she smiled.

"Are you mad?" I asked, my expression worried.

"That I know who you are now?" She smiled. "Or that you know who I am, too?"

"Either. Both."

"How long have you known?" she asked, eyes dancing.

"A… while," I replied.

"How long? Exactly?" she asked again, then added, gently, "Not because I'm mad. I just want to know what tipped you off. I've been so careful."

"Same here," I said, smiling. "You'd told me about forwarding the bug phone." I shrugged. "The morning after our visit with the Doctor, I was here making sure you were resting. Since you were out soundly, I called Ladybug to check on _her_ only to have your civilian phone start to buzz." I laughed a bit. "I wound up calling you a few more times just to confirm. I'm not sure my fur brain was capable of adjusting to the knowledge."

She looked at me. "And yet, you chose to _not_ tell me you knew? Why?"

I caught her hand with a paw. "I love _you_, Marinette," I said, kissing her palm. "But I wanted you to find out organically – not just who I was, but also that my love was true. But like I said, I knew neither of us was quite ready for the reveal at that particular meowment."

"The virus?"

"Yeah." I searched her eyes. "I've made no secret of my feelings for Ladybug, and I was worried you'd think less of me. Especially after my Aspik fiasco. You even pointed it out yourself – you thought I was in love with the _idea_ of Ladybug."

I waited a moment. "I'm not. I'm in love with _you_. And I have been for quite some time."

Marinette nodded again. "I can see that now," she said. "But you never indicated anything at school, never said anything? As Adrien," she hastened to add. "I mean, sure, Chat was _quite_ explicit about his feelings. But not Adrien."

I smiled at that. "Except try to spend every minute I could with you," I pointed out. "How many projects have we worked on together? How often have I volunteered to help you with something? How frequently have I perched on this very railing?" I smiled wider. "I thought it was just what came with being a friend – a good friend. It took the virus for me to see it for what it truly was."

I ran a claw through her ribbons, adding: "You may have seen more of me as Chat, but that doesn't diminish _my_feelings for you. It has always been easier for me to say what I feel when I am transformed." I locked eyes with her. "It frees me from the constraints of my alter-ego, in many ways."

I looked away again. "The other reason I didn't tell you sooner? I was afraid my performance as Aspik would—"

Marinette put a finger to my lips. "Never. In a million years, never."

"Well," I smiled. "Then here we are."

"Here we are indeed," she smiled.

"So you're not mad?" I asked again.

"Not really," she said. "I mean, you probably should have said something sooner, but I understand why you didn't. You're right, I needed a little bit of guidance to accept who my partner really was." She laughed slightly. "The macaroons were like a nuclear bomb though. Next time?" she added, "Maybe a bit slower."

I arched a masked eyebrow. "I hope there is _never_ a next time, Milady."

Marinette pulled me off the railing and into a massive hug. "There won't," she said smiling warmly.

We looked at each other for a moment, and then very gently, Marinette moved up and pressed her lips to mine. Tentative at first, the kiss spoke to our concern for each other; I leaned inward, telegraphing to her I was ready. And I was completely hers. The kiss only lasted a few heartbeats before we parted, but I could feel my pulse had quickened – and I could hear hers had, too.

"I love _you_," I said again with a genuine smile. "How _long_ I have wanted to say that."

"And I love you," Marinette replied, placing her head against my costumed chest. "You do know how long I've wanted to say that."

"I do," I smiled, playing again with the ribbons in her hair. "I'm sorry I didn't understand sooner."

"The important thing is you figured it out," she said, patting me in the shoulder with her hand, "for both of us."

"Yeah." I savored the moment as I held her, the answer to so many of my dreams. I wasn't entirely sure what the future held for us, but my feline heart told me it wouldn't matter – we were exactly where we needed to be, and with exactly who we needed to be with. We would be there for each other, much as we always had, but now with the depth and feeling that came with the intimate connection we shared. The realization had me sighing happily.

Marinette popped her head up. "What?"

"This is one bug I am _glad_ I caught."

She laughed, and it warmed my very soul to hear her happiness. "You are an incurable romantic."

"And you love me even more for it," I replied, my masked eyes crinkling with merriment.

Marinette kissed me again, then pulled back. "You'd better believe it."

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks for following along on this merry ride! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. I didn't really know when I started that it would wind up being a reverse reveal of No Strings but am happy with how it worked out._

_Because I am totally insane, look for a new tale to start on Halloween - Kitty Love - my first story from Marinette's perspective. I'll be writing it concurrently with my NaNoWriNo efforts... so wish me luck. ;-)_


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